


Hopeless, Romantic

by michaely



Series: Ms. Black Eyeliner Chronicles (Victoria) [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: "weeaboo" Chasemarsh, Charsemarsh "honeymoon", Chasemarsh parties with Pricefield, Eventual Romance, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Max and Chloe cameo!, Skinship, Slice of Life, Victoria and Kate “sleep together”, chasemarsh, honestly this is becoming more like food porn lol, in short Victoria and Kate get "married", not a happy ending not a sad ending but a hopeful one, they don't, will they won't they
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26029075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaely/pseuds/michaely
Summary: "Find a road to a humble abode where both of our routes meet." - Owl City, Rainbow VeinsA proper ChaseMarsh relationship would require our heroines to undergo some significant personal growth and evolution of their characters in order for them to grow into compatible partners. Kate needs to stand a bit taller and gain confidence to play the big girl games. Victoria needs to be less of a double X-chromosome Joffrey Baratheon. But of course it can happen, provided you give enough time and handle it with care. So let me have a go. An adaptation of the manga "We Married as a Job" by Tsunami Umino.
Relationships: Victoria Chase & Kate Marsh, Victoria Chase/Kate Marsh
Series: Ms. Black Eyeliner Chronicles (Victoria) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014729
Comments: 45
Kudos: 38





	1. Rainbow Veins

**Author's Note:**

> "Rainbow Veins" was the primary source of inspiration to write this. The song talks of infusing someone you care for with a newfound positivity and enthusiasm for the possibilities of life. I think that's something both Kate and Victoria can eventually do for each other. Also, when I was teaching English in Japan, I recommended this song to one of my students to help her learn more English phrases. By the end of the school year, she told me she was "obsessed" with Owl City.

[ **"Clearly I am a passerby, but I'll find a place to stay."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NuZjhlNwPk)

“Next on Lana Winters Tonight.”

As the camera settles on her, Lana Winters wears her usual expression of practiced composure and elegance.

“The Storm of Arcadia Bay remains one of the most profound natural disasters to ever hit the Pacific Northwest. A sleepy Oregon town and its humble residents were left ravaged by its machinations. Its origins still confound members of both the meteorological and religious communities alike, but what cannot be denied is the impact still felt by the survivors of the incident. Tonight, on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, I am joined by one such individual, Ms. Victoria Chase. Victoria, thanks very much for joining us.”

The view pans to Victoria, dressed in a black halter top with white polka dots and her signature gray miniskirt, along with black Jimmy Choos and a modest gold watch. “Thank you for having me, Lana. I’ve been a fan of the show for many years.”

Lana smiles warmly at Victoria before continuing, “You were a mere high school student at the time. How do you explain your ability to live through this kind of devastation?”

“It was honestly just being in the right place at the right time.” Victoria had never divulged to anyone else the full details of that night, how she was only kept safe as a result of being kidnapped and held prisoner by Jefferson in the Dark Room. What should’ve been her doom was in fact the very reason she could still be here today. “I still grieve for those who were far less fortunate, the innocent victims who were caught in the destruction.”

“Among those victims you’re referring to were, very tragically, your own parents. All of us here at the show send our deepest condolences to you.”

Victoria nods somberly.

Lana continues, “With their passing, you and your brother Jeffrey were left with the Chase family fortune. But very recently you made the bold decision to donate your share of the inheritance to charity. What compelled you to do so?”

“Well, to be clear, my brother has three lovely daughters, and he has placed the money into a trust for them that they can use for their college educations. Me, I haven’t been so fortunate as to have a family of my own, and what I decided is that I need to form an identity and purpose for my life that’s separate from the family name. It’s not that I feel shame or desire to distance myself from my heritage. I just want the meaning for my life to be something that I’ve worked to achieve on my own. And for what it’s worth, the charity I’ve chosen, the Uweza Foundation, is an incredibly compassionate and prolific organization which has done so much to advance the quality of life for the poor in East Africa. I would encourage anyone who’s able to make their own contributions to their efforts too.”

“A noble cause indeed. With so much of your life still left ahead of you, what will you say is next?”

Victoria had always prided herself on presenting a polished and articulate image of herself in public, but this time she’s genuinely stumped. The girl sighs hugely before responding, “The fuck if I know.”

“Cut!” calls out the director of photography.

The crew halts the filming and prepares for the next take with studious and efficient motions.

The DP addresses Victoria now, “Hey, good job so far. It’s just, this is basic cable, so we can’t have that kind of language on the air.”

“Shit,” Victoria chides herself. “Really sorry about that.”

“Honey, don’t worry. You’re doing great for your first time on TV,” Lana reassures her.

The DP speaks to the rest of the team, “Reset to start again in five! We’ll pick up at the last spot.”

Lana turns to another stage assistant, “Can I get another touchup on the foundation here?”

As the activity whirs to a frenzy around her, all Victoria can do is sit there. For the longest time, she’s been feeling the world leaving her behind.

* * *

The notification came on her phone during the cab ride back home. Victoria had received enough e-mails just like it, she could tell almost immediately.

“While we appreciate your interest in the position, the hiring process is especially competitive...”

She leans her head against the cold glass of the window as rain falls on another Seattle evening.

* * *

As Victoria opens the door, she sees Jessica setting out a pizza and some beers on the dining table. Jessica is a quinquagenarian who wears her age proudly. Instead of cosmetic surgery or excessive makeup and hair coloring, she dresses herself up with a bubbly optimism and kind spirit.

Victoria had given away her share of the family fortune and turned over the rights to her parents’ gallery to her brother. She desired to find success for herself separate from what had already been established for her by others. But with that decision, she was left without a stable source of income. As a result, she found herself living through Jessica’s charity at her loft apartment.

“There’s my TV star!” Jessica exclaims as she rushes to give Victoria a hug.

Victoria always appreciated Jessica’s enthusiasm. Since Victoria was a child, Jessica’s unflappable positivity was a major source of motivation. Victoria’s parents had undoubtedly cared for her success, but their style was a more domineering approach to always push her to be better than her best. Sometimes Victoria just wanted someone to be glad for what she could do in the moment.

“Are you ready for your big debut?” Jessica asks. Victoria had filmed the interview on tape delay and promised Jessica she’d be home in time for the two to watch it together.

“I’m not exactly Oprah just yet,” Victoria responds with a sense of humility that the world had recently been teaching to her. “Can a girl get one of those?” She motioned to the six pack of Uinta Golden Ale.

“Ooh, tough day?”

“Got another rejection. Apparently not even Teen Vogue thinks I’m worthy of their ranks.”

Jessica grimaces as she hands a can to Victoria, who pops open the top and takes a deep swig.

“Maybe I’ve got something that could help you with that,” Jessica states. “You remember I did some consulting for that publishing company last year?”

Victoria nods as she picks off a lone pepperoni and pops it into her mouth.

“One of the account executives I was working with said there’s a PR worker named, what was it? Ah! Marsh. Kate Marsh.”

Victoria practically chokes on her next sip of beer.

“What is it? Blast from the past?” inquires Jessica.

“You could say that,” Victoria coughs as she reaches for a tissue to wipe her mouth. “We were...” similar to the issue of Jefferson, Victoria still to this day couldn’t figure out the right way to approach the topic of her messy past with Kate. “I don’t know, we were teenage girls trying to get by.”

“Say no more,” Jessica replies. “Well, Kate lives by herself and doesn’t have time to clean her place. She’s been trying a few agencies, but nobody she likes enough yet.”

“So I’d be, like, a housekeeper?” Victoria would like to think she had shed a lot of the snobbish tendencies of her youth, but she feels she should still draw the line somewhere. She had graduated top of her class from college, after all.

“Your mother was always telling me how even though your family already had a housekeeping staff, you never let them into your room.”

“My room was rectangular. They were trying to sweep it like it was just a square. Doesn’t make any sense.”

“See, that’s what I mean. Maybe you have a way of looking at things that’s more compatible with what Ms. Marsh wants. It’s every Friday morning. Fifty dollars an hour, which I know for a fact is pretty generous for this kind of thing.”

Victoria can’t help but concede that point.

“And who knows?” Jessica goes on, “Maybe it’ll be nice to do some reconnecting.”

The theme music to Lana Winters Tonight plays on the TV.

“Just think about it,” Jessica offers.

Victoria turns her eyes to the screen as well, but the new prospect still weighs greatly on her mind.

* * *

Surely enough, that next Friday, Victoria finds herself disembarking her taxi in front of the luxurious “Parc” condo complex on Cedar Street in Belltown. Her outfit today is more practical for physical labor: her Bryn Mawr College hoodie and black yoga pants. No jewelry, obviously, and she hadn’t bothered much with makeup. She carries a gray tote bag containing cleaning chemicals, sponges, wipes, gloves, duster, etc. She remarks to herself, “Little Kate Marsh moving up in the world. Good for you.”

She takes the elevator up to the fourth floor and finds unit 410. Having knocked a few times on the heavy iron door, it isn’t too long before it swings open and former classmates are face to face again.

And what a face indeed, Victoria thought to herself. In spite of the decade that’s passed between them, Kate still looks as radiant and effervescent as before. The gigawatt smile that, in the end, not even Victoria’s angst-riddled shenanigans could dampen, still remains. Her clothes still communicated Kate’s usual classy flair, just updated for a more mature look. Today she has on a fine white button-down blouse, coffee brown pencil skirt, and skin tone pantyhose. Her little golden cross has stayed around her neck.

“Victoria, it’s so good to see you again,” Kate speaks in her usual endearingly heartfelt manner.

“Thanks. Sorry we haven’t kept in touch.” Victoria tries to reciprocate Kate’s warmth at the same level, but few people can match up to her in that respect.

“We all go our own ways. It’s only important that we can make the time now.”

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well.” Victoria gestures to the surroundings.

“I just try my best, that’s all.” Leave it to Kate to out-humble anyone. “Come in, please.”

Victoria steps through the entrance and takes in the view of the interior. The color scheme is mostly eggshell white with a few accents of rustic oak in the kitchen cabinets. Stainless steel appliances sparkle. The living room has a beige sofa in front of a curved LED TV.

“Home sweet home,” Kate says.

“To be honest, hardly looks like it needs any cleaning,” Victoria replies as she sets down her tote on the black marble top of the kitchen island.

“Well, you might have been told already that I’m pretty particular about a lot of matters.”

“That’s why they sent the best.”

“I do remember in school your desk was always the neatest.”

“So glad you noticed.”

“Oh, I was in deep admiration of you in that sense.”

Victoria let out a slight giggle. Kate returns her laughter in kind. Victoria’s having more fun with this than she had ever anticipated. Up to now she wasn’t sure if she’d have the guts to say this, but with Kate’s disarming nature, Victoria feels it’s appropriate now. “Listen, I know this is coming way too late, but I wanna be able to explain my behavior from when we were young.”

“But that was--”

“Yes, a long time ago, but that doesn’t make it meaningless.” Victoria diverts her gaze and wrings her hands for a moment. “I would love to believe that it was simply a matter of being too foolish to understand right and wrong. And truth be told, I’m realizing now I had all these insecurities that made me lash out at others just so I could feel like I was regaining some measure of control over myself. I know you’re not under any obligation to keep up with my life, but I’m hoping if you get to know me now, you’ll see I’m trying more to do what’s best for everyone. And if for you that means cleaning your kitchen counters and making your bed, hell, I’ll do that gladly.”

Kate lifts up the corners of her mouth into a grin. “Victoria, do you know how I survived the storm?”

“No. I had heard that you made it out OK, but I wasn’t ever sure how.”

“My family and I, we weren’t even in Arcadia Bay. I was in Portland seeing some psychiatric specialists.”

Victoria feels a sharp pang of guilt to know that Kate had been affected so severely.

Kate continues, “So no, what you did, I wouldn’t wish that on my absolute worst enemy. But in the end, the fact that I suffered that way, it was the only reason my family was kept out of danger. If I have to make that sacrifice, I would do so a hundred times over, just to make sure they’re OK.”

Victoria finds herself stunned once more at Kate’s selfless nature.

“In a certain sense,” concludes Kate, “I do owe you my thanks.”

Victoria releases a heavy sigh. “I don’t know yet what you want us to be to each other. But I promise I’ll be the best I can for you.”

“I’m sure that will be just fine,” Kate reassures. Then in a move that’s wholly unexpected, Kate wraps her slim and fragile arms around Victoria.

It only takes the briefest of moments for Victoria to overcome her initial shock. She eventually finds such soothing warmth in Kate’s touch.

“Oh,” Kate says, “Before I forget.”

Kate walks over to the dining table and picks up an envelope. She hands it over to Victoria.

“It’s your pay for today,” Kate explains.

“I’m getting paid upfront?”

“It’s how I’ve handled it with everyone. I prefer to pay right away, so if I didn’t end up rehiring them, I wouldn’t have to see them later.”

Victoria finds it in herself to boast now. “Well, you’ll have to get used to seeing me around here a lot more because I’m gonna whip this place into shape like you’ve never seen before.”

Kate lets out a delighted giggle. Victoria hadn’t ever noticed before how cute that laugh is.

“Alright,” Kate says as he grabs her purse, “I should be heading to work.”

“You do your thing, I’ll do mine.”

Kate nods is reassurance. She slips a smart blazer over her shoulders and her feet into some pumps.

Before Kate walks out the door, Victoria is sure to call out, “Have a great day.”

“Yeah, you too.” Kate waves goodbye and shuts the door behind her.

Victoria turns back to the apartment and assesses the surroundings. She hadn’t ever thought of housework as a job. As she scrubbed diligently at the windows to the patio, she thought bemusedly about how nothing she had learned up to this point had ever come in handy. But she supposes it’s best to just enjoy this work for what it is.

After all, the management isn’t too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI the Uweza Foundation (uwezakenya.org) is a real charity doing lots of great work for the world. Please consider giving them your support if you can.


	2. Hello Seattle

[ **“Hello Seattle, I am a cold seahorse feeling warm in your sand.”** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvc46jujn8)

Kate sits in the break room of Puffin Publishing House’s downtown Seattle office. As is customary lunchtime routine, she’s watching some clips of Wallace and Gromit on her phone while picking at her lone bowl of instant mac and cheese.

“How’s it hanging, Kate?” The greeting had come from Kate’s closest friend in the office, Anthony. He’s a tall man with long limbs and lean musculature. His dark hair is trimmed tight and proper, like a well-tended bonsai tree. His facial hair is preserved in a state of fashionable five o’clock shadow. He’s dressed in a fitted gray sports jacket over a (most likely overpriced) white V-neck shirt, along with khaki capris and white slip-on shoes.

“Lower than yours, boy scout,” is Kate’s teasing response.

“Ha! Classic Marsh.”

“How was lunch with Katherine?” Kate inquires, referring to Anthony’s longstanding on-again, off-again girlfriend.

“How’d you know about that?” Anthony replies in slight surprise as he starts the brew cycle on the coffeemaker.

“You still haven’t figured out how to set your calendar to private.”

“Shit, my bad.”

“I fixed it for you. I imagine you don’t want everyone to know your chest waxing got rescheduled to Thursday.”

“Always saving my ass as usual. That reminds me,” he takes the small brown paper takeout box he had been carrying and drops it off on the table in front of Kate, “Got you something from the restaurant.”

“Is this...” Kate opens the box and squeals with delight, “Strawberry shortcake!”

“I figured your convenience store macaroni needed a bit of company today.”

“Mm. Thank you,” Kate says, already chewing a chunk of strawberry.”

“You should get someone to take better care of your food situation. I keep offering to hook you up with my personal chef.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have your corner office suite kind of salary, so it’s doubtful I can afford that.”

“My point is don’t go eating that junk every day. You’ll keel over by the time you’re 40, and then who am I supposed to have witty lunchtime repartee with?”

“Yes Anthony, by far you would be the one most severely affected if I were to die,” answers Kate facetiously.

“I am very glad you can have that in consideration.” Anthony adds some sugar to his coffee.

Oh no, Kate thinks to herself. If he adds sugar before cream, it means something’s bothering him. Kate had known him long enough to take a stab at guessing what’s the matter. “What’s Katherine up to these days?”

“Oh...” Anthony eventually adds the cream, but he stirs counterclockwise.

It must be really bad, Kate thinks to herself.

“She took an assignment in Venice,” Anthony explains, “So she’s leaving in a couple weeks.”

Should’ve guessed, Kate thinks to herself.

“I’m sorry,” Kate offers aloud.

“No, it’s fine, really. It’s just the way things play out. We both have understood that for a long time.”

“You know, they would probably let you work remote if you asked. Why not try going out there with her one of these days?”

“Thanks, I appreciate the thought. But I guess this is the rhythm we’ve set for ourselves.”

Kate can’t help but wonder how much of the “we” Anthony’s been involved in.

Anthony checks his Fossil watch. “I should get going. Got a call with the board. Enjoy your cake.”

“Thanks again.”

As Anthony leaves and Kate takes another bite of her dessert, she ponders about exactly how many pitfalls exist in any relationship, just waiting to swallow up innocent souls.

* * *

Having just finished mopping the dining room floor, Victoria steps out onto the patio for a quick break. The season’s cold weather was arriving in earnest, but having exerted herself pretty intensely for the majority of the morning, she appreciates the cool breeze kicking in. She stretches out her arms and pulls in a deep breath of air, imbued with the scent of Elliott Bay’s salty waters.

Beside her, she notices a bar stool with a generous sprinkling of breadcrumbs sitting on top. The random nature of this one isolated mess strikes Victoria as a little strange. She decides not to dawdle for too long and instead sweeps up the crumbs into a dustpan before heading back inside and returning to work.

* * *

Later that night, Victoria soaked her aching body in a long, warm bath to soothe the tension from a hard day’s work. Now wrapped in her fluffy robe, she’s polishing off the other half of a bottle of zinfandel while video chatting with Max Caulfield.

“So for the outside shots,” Victoria explains, “I think you need to stop down on the aperture a bit more. The background shouldn’t really play too much into the understanding of what’s happening, so you can just leave the focus on the foreground. That’ll correct some of the exposure issues on the subject as well.”

“Thank you so much, seriously,” Max responds with sincere gratitude. “You always were the sharpest on the technical side.”

“It’s nothing, really. Anybody can learn all of that over time. I’m sure you’ll get it for yourself soon.”

“You ever think about shooting again?”

At this question, Victoria looks away. She slumps her shoulders and picks at some of the lint still clinging to her robe. “I still don’t know. Photography is another one of those things where all of it was set up for me. I can’t tell if it’s actually my passion or if I just got swept away in it.”

“Look,” Max says, with all her usual adorably frank altruism, “I also went through a time when I was unsure about everything I was doing, not just with photography but all of it. I needed some time away to...get perspective, I guess. And when I got my head clear and decided I actually wanted to return to it, that’s the only time when I could start making reasonably decent work.”

“I would say the cover feature in Flaunt magazine is better than just ‘decent.’”

“All I’m saying is I know what it’s like to just be spinning your wheels and going nowhere. I found my way back to photography, but you have so much ability and knowledge and potential to do whatever the hell you want. I promise whenever you do find something that puts your feet back on the ground, you’re just gonna run with it, and the world will be way better off. You’re gonna make lots of people happy.”

Typical Max, always offering a spot for other weary souls to lean on. Feeling her spirit significant buoyed by Max’s encouragement, Victoria couldn’t help but posit the following: “Why didn’t we ever talk like this in school? I feel like we could’ve saved ourselves loads of pointless bickering.”

“And...” Max shifts uneasily in her seat, “That cute black cardigan wouldn’t have gotten ruined with paint.”

Victoria takes a moment to recall what Max is referring to, but once she realizes, her jaw falls to the floor. “Fucking hell, that was you?”

“I’m sorry!” Max buries her face in her hands. “But please remember that the statute of limitations for adolescent rivalries is only 10 years.”

“Yeah whatever,” Victoria responds, though she herself has broken into laughter. “Next time I’m in town, dinner’s on you. And we’re going somewhere owned by a TV chef, so it’ll be extra expensive!”

“That’s only fair.”

“Max, reservation’s at 7:00!” Victoria recognizes that voice as belonging to Chloe Price.

“Speaking of. I should go.” Max says.

“Alright, well congratulations again, Max,” Victoria replies.

With a final warm smile, Max logs out from the call. Victoria shuts her own laptop. As she takes another sip of wine, a notification comes on her phone.

It’s a text from Kate:

_“V, I so adore what you did with the place. Wonderful job, truly. I’d love, love, love for you to come back again! <3”_

Victoria had never before imagined how glad she could be at getting praise over folding bedsheets and scrubbing sinks. Now she’s riding higher than she could remember feeling in a very long time.

“You’re gonna make lots of people happy,” Victoria recounts Max’s recent proclamation. Well, this is a nice start.

* * *

Victoria would return to Kate’s place the next Friday.

“I’d like you to focus on vacuuming and laundry for today,” are Kate’s instructions. “There’s been lots of rain this week, and the weekend forecast doesn’t look much better. It’ll be important to get the clothes hung out today while there’s sun.”

“You hang your clothes to dry?”

“Oh, I did a study abroad in Japan during college. Most people hang-dry all their clothes. It’s just way better for the environment. Plus, I like having the smell of the salt from the sea. It’s like having ‘Hello Seattle’ always playing all around me.”

“OK, you’re the boss.”

As Victoria arranges the clothes on the drying rod hanging over the patio, she notices that none of Kate’s underwear is included in the laundry pile. Modest as ever, Victoria muses.

The next week, Victoria notices that the fly screen to the patio door is especially gunked up. She sprays some soapy water and wipes with a pair of stockings that’s been rolled up into a tight ball.

For Victoria, this isn’t particularly special work. Three hours of work, 150 dollars per week. Still not the kind of wage that will help her achieve her dreams, whatever those might be. But still, she had resolved to herself that, even if no one’s watching, even if she puts in effort that isn’t acknowledged, she’d work the hardest she could.

* * *

When Kate returns home later that evening, she finds a sticky note left on the kitchen island:

_“Thanks for working so hard today. The world loves and appreciates you._

_-V”_

Kate also notices a faint scent, so she brings the paper close to her nose. Miss Dior. Kate laughs to herself. Victoria, ever the champion of details.

* * *

Victoria and Jessica are tucking into some takeout pad thai when the news is broken.

“Victoria dear, you know my mother’s been ill recently.”

“Is she OK?”

“For now. But it’s becoming clear she needs more help around her house if she’s gonna be kept safe. Today, my boss agreed to a work from home arrangement for me. So I’ll be moving in with her.”

“To Orcas Island?”

“Yes, to that creaky, drafty, in all likelihood haunted manor on Orcas Island.”

“Oh...” Victoria just now realizes the implications for herself.

“I’d offer for you to come join me. I’m sure mother would appreciate more company. But I know you’re looking for work in Seattle.”

“Right...”

“I’m really sorry. I feel like I’m abandoning you.”

“No way! You’ve already done more than enough. Please take care of your mom. Give her a big hug for me when you see her next.”

“Thank you so much for understanding, Victoria.”

“Hey. I’ll make it. I promise.”

* * *

As Victoria exits the taxi, she sees a bird flying toward the patio of Kate’s condo.

“It’s a Bengalese finch,” Kate explains. She and Victoria watch the creature picking away at the breadcrumbs atop the bar stool on the patio. “I was getting worried. I hadn’t seen her in a while. I’m glad she’s OK.”

Victoria nods along in affirmation.

Kate sighs contentedly. “I should get going.”

“Actually, can I talk to you about something?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been staying with a friend of mine in town, but she’s about to move. If I’m needing to live by myself, I need to work a full-time job.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I appreciate your giving me the chance, but it’s just not gonna be a good fit anymore for my situation.”

“Can’t be helped, I guess.”

“I think it’s still gonna be a few more weeks until she gets all her stuff moved over, so I’ll work until the end of the month.”

Kate purses her lips in disappointment.

“I should get started on today then,” Victoria states.

As Victoria goes to retrieve her cleaning supplies, Kate speaks up suddenly, “The fly screen.”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been cleaning the fly screen, right?”

“Yes of course.”

“When I opened the curtain last Saturday morning, the way the light came in, it was so vivid and warm. I realized it was the fly screen.”

Kate looks deep at Victoria with achingly thankful eyes, “It made me happy.”

Victoria feels profoundly touched. This one mission, however simple, had been accomplished.

“I’m so glad you could work here,” Kate concludes.

“Fuck it,” Victoria says defiantly, “Why don’t I work as a live-in employee?”

Kate, wide-eyed, stares back at Victoria.

“There’s stuff here I could clean every day. I can do the shopping for household supplies. And I cook too, did I mention that?”

“Victoria, my parents have been able to come around on the fact that I sometimes date women, but they’re still trying to keep at least some of the traditional values. Living with someone before getting married--”

“Then...” Looking back, Victoria still can’t believe how the following words just burst from her mouth so casually, “Let’s get married. Why not?”

Victoria can’t tell if Kate’s expression is one of shock, horror, trepidation, worry, nonplus. Probably it was a Molotov cocktail of all that.

Upon realizing that she probably just unloaded a proverbial sack of bricks on Kate, Victoria quickly tries to reel herself back. “Oh. Um...that didn’t...” she nervously tussled her blonde hair. “That didn’t come out right.” She checks her watch. “Oh! Is that the time? Don’t want you to be late for work!”

She takes a still speechless Kate by the hand and frenziedly leads her over to the front door.

Victoria snatches Kate’s purse from the kitchen island and hands it to her. “Here, I’ll get the door for you,” Victoria says as she opens the front entrance. Kate takes a few wary steps outside.

Victoria manically offers a “Have a nice day!” and shuts the heavy door behind. She leans against the cold metal, trying to reassemble the jumbled mess of her thoughts and catch her breath again.

“What did I just do?”


	3. The Yacht Club

[ **"Don't sweat under your overcoat 'cause my heart can't harbor this paddle boat."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VI-DCol8Ns)

For the rest of the day that Friday, over the weekend, and well into the early parts of the following week, Kate operates largely on autopilot. Again and again, she turns over Victoria’s words in her mind.

“Let’s get married. Why not?”

Each unassuming syllable in that brief utterance is its own grain of gunpowder in what is turning out to be a highly volatile keg.

Once again, the clock has run down to 5:30 PM. Kate rubs her eyes and takes account of her surroundings for the first time in a while. OK, she’s in the office, so she must have been going to work. Hopefully she’s fulfilled her daily duties to a satisfactory degree. She feels it safe to assume so, since no one has come to bother her about anything. The Calvin and Hobbs calendar on her desk says it’s Tuesday. It’s officially the end of the workday, so she shuts down her computer and begins compiling her belongings into her purse.

As she’s pushing her chair back under her desk, Anthony comes to greet her.

“Kate, glad I caught you before you left.”

“Everything OK?”

“That new Amazing Amy book that’s supposed to go to printing next week, the illustrator is demanding revisions to the layout.”

“It’s a bit late in the game, no?”

“My brownnosing managed to buy an extension until Friday.”

He hands over a stack of papers to Kate. As she peruses the notes specifying what changes need to be made, her eyes gradually widen.

“These aren’t revisions,” she points out. “This is basically starting over.”

“I know. And upper brass is saying they want to send some nitwits from the temp agency, but I know they’re not gonna be able to handle the pressure. You started off in layout, Kate, you know this stuff better than anyone.”

“Well...”

“Look, I’m gonna get them approve double overtime pay. Triple overtime! And we’ll open up an expense account a mile long. You can have surf and turf three meals a day, wash yourself in a tub of Evian if you want. What do you say?”

Ever the eager people pleaser, Kate doesn’t know just yet how much that tendency of hers would shape the rest of her young life.

* * *

The next Friday morning, Victoria knocks on the front door to Kate’s condo, same as always. What breaks the routine is that Kate doesn’t answer. Victoria also has to reflect on her words.

“Let’s get married. Why not?”

The girl sighs hugely as she hangs her head. “Didn’t mean to scare you off, Kate.”

“Victoria?” Kate comes walking down the hall.

From the gritty rasp in Kate’s voice, Victoria had guessed that Kate isn’t feeling her best, but upon actually seeing Kate, the damage is even worse than imagined. She’s visibly struggling to drag herself along her path, her limbs seemingly made of lead. Her dirty blonde hair, usually pulled up prim and proper, now lies ragged every which way. Her eyelids can barely be kept open, and she can muster only the faintest of smiles to greet Victoria.

“Is it Friday already?” Kate remarks, in an evident daze of exhaustion. Her nose is obviously stuffy.

“What happened?” Victoria asks.

“I was...” Kate’s response is interrupted by a deafening sneeze which even makes Victoria jump. Kate wipes her nose with her Totoro handkerchief. “I was working last night. And the night before. And also...wait, how many nights is that?”

“Do you need help with something?”

“Oh no, I’m used to living by myself. I’ll just have a lie down. Sorry, but I don’t think today would be a good time for you to work. I’ll still pay you, though.”

“No, seriously don’t worry.

“It’s my circumstance that’s causing this,” Kate insists as she unlocks the front door. “I’ll put a check in the mail.”

“Are you sure you’ll be OK?”

“Yes, I don’t want anyone worrying about me, I’m fine. Enjoy your day off. We both deserve it.”

Victoria is far from assured about the well-being of her boss and newfound friend, but she doesn’t feel comfortable imposing either.

“You call me if you need anything at all, you promise?” Victoria implores.

“I’ll keep you in mind.”

Giving Kate a nod of affirmation, Victoria turns to leave. She only makes it a few steps before she hears the thud of Kate’s body hitting the tile floor.

* * *

By the time Kate wakes up again, she’s lying in her own bed. A light periwinkle comforter with white polka dots is pulled snugly over her body. An ice bag, sky blue with puffy clouds scattered around, rests on top of her forehead. Kate is surprised it was still lying about. She hadn’t used it since she had chickenpox almost 20 years ago. What’s most peculiar, however, is that she’s no longer wearing the work clothes she had on when she returned home. Instead, she’s now sporting her set of aquamarine pajamas.

She looks to the side as her bedroom door opens. Victoria enters carrying a bed tray with a bowl of steaming soup on top.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Victoria remarks. “Think you’re up for some chicken noodle soup?”

“What...” Kate removes the ice bag from her head and sits up (still a bit of a struggle). “What happened?”

“Looks like you died on the cross for your job. Oh shoot, that’s not a good expression to use for you, is it? Let’s just say you worked too hard.”

Kate picks at the pajamas she’s now wearing. “Did you change my clothes?”

“Yes, but scout’s honor it wasn’t anything perverted. All the clothes you had on were soaked with sweat, and I had to get you into something dry.”

Kate nods slowly. “OK, I appreciate that.”

“Here,” Victoria sets the tray over Kate’s lap. “Enjoy, go ahead.”

Kate picks up the white spoon next to the bowl and scoops up some broth, egg noodles, and one chunk each of carrot and celery. She places the food in her mouth. The rich broth, hearty noodles, and fragrant vegetables practically dance all over her tongue. She looks back at Victoria in amazement.

Victoria flashes a grin of self-satisfaction. “Parsley, thyme, and bay. That’s what makes it special.”

Kate polishes off the rest of the bowl in delight. By the end, she doesn’t even bother with the spoon. She lifts the bowl to her mouth and slurps up the last of the broth and noodles. She sets down her empty bowl and a tiny belch escapes from her mouth.

Kate gasps in embarrassment.

Victoria laughs jovially.

“I’m sorry!” Kate exclaims.

“No, I’m...” Victoria fights to contain the last of her chuckling, “I’m very glad you feel better.”

“I really do, thanks so much.” Kate sets the tray on her nightstand. “Can I ask how you learned to cook?”

“I guess it goes back to Monsieur de Funes.”

“Who?”

“Growing up, my family had our own private chef,” Victoria says as she sits down on the mattress beside Kate.

“Sounds like your family all right.”

“And he was basically Napoleon with a Cuisinart. Squat, little Frenchman who would only accept French cuisine as the best in the world. He would serve cassoulet, lobster thermidor, niçoise salad. French food only, every single day. But what 11-year-old wants to eat a big, nasty lobster with the eyes still gawking right at you?”

Kate giggles at the thought.

“So,” Victoria goes on, “One day I decided I’d had enough. I decided I don’t care what it is, I’m going to learn to cook all the other food in the world, as long as it’s not French. I saved my allowance and bought up every cookbook I could find, all the while washing my lone sports bra in my bathroom sink every night because I couldn’t afford to replace it. And from there, I started practicing, started collecting all these techniques and recipes, one by one.”

“All because of your feud with your family’s chef?”

“Yes, you can thank Monsieur de Funes for your speedy recovery.”

“Merci beaucoup, Monsieur de Funes, you moody Francophile.”

The two women are at last able to laugh together. For the first time in the 10 plus years they’ve known each other, they’re regarding each other the way friends do.

Victoria checks her gold watch. “It’s getting late. I should go.”

“Right,” Kate replies.

“Make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

“Won’t be a problem.”

Victoria gives Kate a reassuring smile and squeezes her hand gently.

As Victoria heads for the door, Kate feels there’s one last thing she wants Victoria to know. “Victoria,” Kate calls out to her.

“Hm?”

“If you’re dead-set on getting married, I think you could easily find someone. Boy or girl. I’m not sure if you...”

“Oh, I’ve dated both. I think there’s pros and cons with either. Bryn Mawr was a big eye opener for me, I have to say.”

“I see. Well, my point remains. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Your cooking’s delicious. And you obviously know how to take care of people.”

“Wow, I feel like I’ve just gotten a lifetime’s worth of praise.”

“It’s completely true.”

“Thanks really. But it’s not exactly like that. I’m not marriage hunting. It’s just...” Victoria wrings her hands uneasily, “Everything I’ve ever had in my life, it’s been because someone before me worked to get it. I’ve tried to make a path for myself. But I still haven’t accomplished anything on my own. No one chooses me. All the friends who fawned over me when we were in school, they’re gone. My own parents, they’re gone. No one is here to choose me.”

Kate looks back at Victoria with deep sympathy.

Victoria continues, “I want to be accepted. I want to feel like things are better because I’m here. When you noticed the fly screen, when you said it made you happy,” Victoria laughs to herself, feeling a bit embarrassed to be harboring these seemingly juvenile notions, feeling surprised to be confiding them in someone else, “You chose me.” Victoria heaves a heavy sigh in conclusion. “Sorry for saying such crazy things.”

“No, it--”

“Have a good night. I really am glad you’re feeling better.”

Before Kate could offer her response, Victoria has already rushed out the bedroom, out the heavy iron front door.

On the ride back to Jessica’s loft, Victoria wonders if it really is such a luxury to feel like you’re needed. Doesn’t everyone want to feel like they’re needed? But instead, life is more like this spiral. Giving up on your dreams. Letting go of emotions you once thought were so vital. Laughing it off when you really want to cry.

Is this the life she’s been living?

* * *

The next week, Victoria would return for what’s supposed to be her final day of work. She has prepared a final gesture of gratitude for her host.

“It’s never steered me wrong.” Victoria hands to Kate a sparkling new copy of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. “We all can start somewhere.”

“Thank you for having faith in me.” Kate replies with gusto.

“Well, let’s make the last day the best.” Victoria picks up her tote bag of supplies and sets out to scrub the bathroom faucets.

“Victoria, could you take a seat?”

In no time, the kitchen table was awash with spreadsheets, charts, and figures, all painstakingly prepared by Kate’s studious hand.

“I did some trial calculations,” Kate explains. “I first figured out how much time you’d spend each day on the various duties you’ve been taking care of: cleaning, cooking, laundry. I compiled data on median salaries for workers in each of those economic sectors. Then I looked at what would be your share of the expenses if you and I were to split equally the mortgage, utilities, and other living costs. Subtracting expenses from salary and assuming that each workday comprises seven hours of labor, I calculated an hourly wage for you.”

Victoria’s head is swimming in the details. She finds this Beautiful Mind routine from Kate to be wholly astounding.

Kate still pushes on, “Based on all my analysis, having you live here, paying you a salary, and hiring you as a housewife, I’ve decided it holds great value for me as well.” Kate beams a dazzling smile, thoroughly proud of a job well done. “So I realize this isn’t much of a proposal, but...” Kate retrieves one last paper from the black leather portfolio she had been storing all the sheets in.

She places the paper in front of Victoria, who reads the title of the document as “Contract for De Facto Marriage.”

“Victoria Maribeth Chase,” Kate says as she places a fountain pen nearby, “Will you marry me?”


	4. The Real World

[ **“Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn’t wanna live there.”** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQmXgjod8B0)

“So what do they know about me?” Victoria inquires with trepidation.

On a chilly winter morning, Victoria and Kate have taken their first step toward official marriage. This stage is simple enough, they just dropped off their application for a marriage license at the King County Recorder’s Office. As they enjoy some cappuccinos at the nearby Caffe Umbria, the conversation has shifted to an endeavor that will undoubtedly prove far more daunting: the meeting between families. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh would be flying in from Oregon, and Jessica, along with Jeff Chase and his wife, are also slated to attend.

“I never mentioned your name specifically,” Kate assures her.

Victoria lets out a sigh of relief.

Kate continues, “I figured the best-case scenario is eventually you could learn on your own to treat people better and do better things for the world. I didn’t think making an accusation against you and having that attached to you forever would help out with that.”

“Thank you,” Victoria humbly replies, ever grateful at Kate’s consideration for others rather than for her own vindication.

Kate nods resolutely. As she takes another sip from her cup, she brings up another matter that has been pressing on her mind. “Have you been getting pestered about a wedding ceremony?”

“Jessica and my sister-in-law both acted like it’d be obvious we’re having one.”

“Same with my parents.”

“But since this is just about putting on appearances, I’d really like to avoid having to go through the dog and pony routine.”

“I completely agree. I couldn’t in good conscience accept their congratulations.”

“If that’s the case, though, we still need to show that we’ve made a serious commitment to each other.”

“Well, I booked a private room at Andaluca. I’ll do my best to keep the conversation going and make everyone comfortable.”

Victoria tries her best to give a reassuring nod. At the same time, she’s wishing her coffee had a few splashes of sambuca.

* * *

The night of the family dinner, Kate had gone to the restaurant ahead of time to coordinate a few final arrangements with the staff.

“Seat number four wants seltzer water, not tap,” Kate explains to a waiter, “And number five has requested prawns instead of scallops in the paella.”

“Got it, Ms. Marsh,” replies the waiter, although he quickly realizes his verbal flub. “I mean, Mrs. Marsh? Or rather...Mrs. Chase? Mrs. Chase-Marsh?”

“Don’t worry about that for now,” Kate gently responds. “Just go ahead and take care of these things.”

“Right away.”

It’s then when Victoria walks into the restaurant. Kate had taken her time and made her best possible effort to dress to impress. Tonight she sports a rose pink shrug over a strapless white satin cocktail dress and some short white kitten heels. But it’s immediately obvious that when Victoria goes all out, there’s quite honestly no comparison. Her off-the-shoulder, knee-length indigo bodycon dress fits every groove and curve of her figure with flawless precision. She adds to the ensemble a pair of golden crescent moon shaped earrings and black Annabelle heels.

When she tries to address Victoria, Kate finds that her words catch in her throat for just a moment. “You look...”

“Like I’m not about to go scrubbing toilets?”

Kate giggles as she realizes that the image of the glitzy and glamorous Victoria Chase had recently been supplanted by that of studious and practical laborer Victoria Chase.

“You’re the Victoria Chase of past glories,” Kate announces.

“Then I should thank you for giving me the excuse to revive my former self. I was almost certain I had retired this thing for good.” Victoria proudly spins around to showcase every angle of her outfit.

“Hello girls!” Jessica has made her way into the restaurant now. “Both of you are looking fabulous.”

“Thanks so much for coming,” Victoria replies sincerely. “I’m very happy to be able to introduce you to my...” the word still doesn’t come quite so naturally to her yet, “My wife. Kate.”

“You are just as gorgeous as she’s said,” Jessica states with a jubilant grin at Kate.

“That’s so kind of you,” responds Kate. “I hope you enjoy dinner and meeting my parents.”

“Jeff and Bayley should be getting here any moment,” Victoria points out, referring to her brother and his wife.

“Oh, in that case,” Jessica says with strange new intensity. “I better go check my makeup.” With that, she scurries off to the restroom.

“Is something the matter between her and Jeff?” Kate inquires.

“I think it has to do when Jeff was about 12 or so. Jessica was babysitting while my parents were at the theater, and for some reason, as Jessica was cleaning up after dinner, Jeff walked right up to her, looked her dead in the eye, and said to her, ‘Jessica, you will NEVER get married.’ And then he went right back to watching Looney Tunes.”

“What? Insane.”

“Yeah, creepy as shit. It was like he was fuguing or something.”

A chime sounds as the front door opens. In steps Jeffrey Chase, a tall, stout-jawed man of impressive stature in his mid-30s. With his impeccable grooming and steely blue eyes, he looks like he was born in that svelte Hugo Boss suit he currently dons. In her maxi dress, his wife Bayley just looks like someone who’s relieved to have a night off from rearing three young daughters. Kate also recognizes her parents as they step out of their cab at curbside.

“Well...” Kate speaks up, “Here goes...”

Victoria concludes, “Everything.”

* * *

“Well sure, we were definitely surprised when Katie made that call to us,” Richard Marsh recounts when he first heard the news of his eldest daughter’s impending marriage. “But I know she’s always been the type to think over all her decisions with the utmost care and consideration. If she has chosen Victoria to share her life with, I believe Katie has made herself very sure of how special Victoria is.”

“Thanks very much, Mr. Marsh” Victoria says in gratitude.

“Please, Victoria, feel free to call me Richard now,” he politely insists. “But none of that ‘father-in-law’ business, makes me feel too old.”

The group shares a collective laugh at Richard’s jape.

“And what about you, Victoria?” Mrs. Marsh is next to speak. “What would you say is Kate’s best attribute?” The woman inquires with genuine curiosity.

“You don’t have to ask that now,” Kate softly objects.

“When else will I get the chance?” Mrs. Marsh counters.

“I would say,” Victoria intercedes, “Her instructions are clear and specific.”

Victoria recalls when Kate first asked her to do laundry: “There’s been lots of rain this week, and the weekend forecast doesn’t look much better. It’ll be important to get the clothes hung out today while there’s sun.”

Victoria goes on, “There’s never any useless detail. Also...”

Victoria reflects on how much effort Kate put into arranging for this de facto marriage: “I compiled data on median salaries for workers in each of those economic sectors. Then I looked at what would be your share of the expenses if you and I were to split equally the mortgage, utilities, and other living costs.”

“No matter how outrageous of an idea I may have,” Victoria says, “She can always find a realistic way to put it into action.”

“Sounds like you’re praising your boss,” Jeff cuts in, right before popping another piece of his New York strip into his mouth.

“No one asked you,” Victoria chides him.

“Be nice, Jeff,” Bayley commands.

“But that brings up a good point,” Jeff continues as he takes a sip of his pinot. “Kate, what is it you like about Victoria?”

Victoria feels intensely sorry for Kate having been put on the spot. Surprisingly, though, Kate seems to field that question rather adeptly.

“Victoria can do absolutely anything she sets her sights on. She’s always been determined and resourceful. I’ve admired her for that ever since we were in school together.”

Kate gives a knowing glance to Victoria, who can’t help but feel a little blush coming onto her cheeks.

“And when will the ceremony be?” Mrs. Marsh keeps pushing the issue.

“That’s right,” Richard agrees, “Katie, your sisters are for sure gonna want to be part of that.”

“I know this great florist in Bellevue,” Jessica chimes in.

“You could have one in Seattle and another in Oregon,” Bayley adds her own thought.

“We won’t have a ceremony!” Kate states this with unusually firm authority.

All eyes immediately lock onto her.

“We decided it together,” Kate says, much softer this time. She looks over to Victoria, who offers her own firm nod.

“What’s important to us,” Victoria speaks further, “Is just having our life together. Formal events aren’t necessary for us.”

“You keep talking about just the two of you,” Jeff points out. “But the ceremony is really for the benefit of everyone else, you know.”

“I can understand that sentiment,” Kate says. “But a quiet and modest life, that’s what Victoria and I are both aiming for. It’s the best way we can think of to be together.”

Jeff scoffs, “All I know is my reception was exhausting as hell, and all the while the only thing going through my head was ‘Why do I have to do this?’”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Bayley exclaims with obvious offense.

“You could phrase it a little nicer, Jeff,” Jessica insists.

“Well, you’ve never been married, how would you know?” Jeff shoots back.

“God! Jeff, shut up!” Victoria shouts over him.

* * *

Despite Jeff’s best efforts, it seems like everyone did end up getting along just fine. As the meal wraps up, everyone rises from their seats and starts saying their goodbyes. Victoria finds herself with Jessica and Bayley.

“I’m gonna be so lonely, Victoria,” Jessica bemoans. “You probably won’t even have time to text.”

“I don’t think things are gonna be all that different,” Victoria replies.

“That’s not how married life is,” Bayley says. “It’ll be the start of something entirely new.”

Jeff calls to his wife, “Babe, sitter’s only there until 10:00."

“Good luck,” Bayley gives quick hugs to the other two women before exiting with her husband.

“I’ll get going too,” Jessica says.

“OK, good night and take care.” Victoria waves goodbye as Jessica leaves.

On the other side of the room, Kate and her mother are talking.

“Your father was looking forward to walking you down the aisle,” Mrs. Marsh comments gently. “He won’t want me to tell you this, but he’s been practicing in the hall of our house.”

Kate looks at her father finishing up the last of his post-dinner sherry. She can’t help but feel a slight pang of regret.

“I always thought of you as the kind to want to work hard, rather than to get married,” Mrs. Marsh confesses.

“Well, it’s not so outrageous. You got married and had me when you were pretty young, didn’t you?”

“That’s true. I was happy to have you.” She places a soft hand on top of her daughter’s shoulder. Kate turns her attention back to her mom. “Kate, I AM happy to have you.”

Kate is a little taken aback by an uncharacteristically frank outpouring of emotion from Mrs. Marsh.

“I understand if you haven’t always been able to know that,” Mrs. Marsh confesses. “I do regret a great deal about how I’ve handled our relationship. Pride and temper don’t go well together. You already know about me that I often regard the world in terms of how I think it should be. But through all the disagreements you and I have had, I’ve been forced to understand that what’s supposed to be most important is the happiness of my children. So be happy.”

Immensely touched by this unusual sincerity from her mother, Kate can’t help but throw her arms around Mrs. Marsh in a tight embrace.

“Be as happy for yourself as you’ve made me,” Mrs. Marsh implores.

* * *

To unwind from the harrowing evening, Kate and Victoria decide to take a stroll down Alaskan Way. The city lights sparkle on the waters of nearby Elliott Bay.

“Call me crazy,” Kate speaks out, “But I think that went OK.”

Victoria concurs, “Sure. Even if all it did was put all of them at ease, I’d say it was worthwhile.”

“I still feel a little guilty.”

“Why’s that?”

“The only reason we’re having to put on this façade is so my parents don’t object to us living together. I don’t have the confidence to face them, and that’s why we have to lie. Feels like we’re just running away from our problems.”

Victoria’s reply comes in that same bold, unapologetic tone that Kate is increasingly finding to be refreshing and charming. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Hm?”

“Why can’t we run away? There’s this Hungarian proverb: ‘szégyen a futás, de hasznos.’ ‘Running away is shameful, but it’s useful.’”

“It...it’s useful.” Kate considers the value of this principle.

“If it means we can survive, why not run away?”

Kate laughs to herself. Run away, with Victoria Chase of all people. Why does that sound like such a tantalizing prospect now?

Victoria continues, “And I think I know where we should run to first.” She points forward at the glowing neon letters signaling the entrance to Ivar’s Fish Bar.

As if right on cue, Kate’s stomach starts to growl. “Oh! Sorry!”

“Don’t worry. I was so nervous at dinner, I hardly ate anything either.”

“You know, I’ve lived here for years, but I’ve never been there,” Kate admits.

“My Girl Scouts troop took a trip here in junior high. We stopped by for lunch. Fish and chips to die for.”

“Girl Scouts?” Kate repeats a bit incredulously.

“Yes.”

“You?”

“Yeah.”

“With the skirt and the cookies and the badges and everything?”

“Yes, so surprising to you?”

“I guess...” Kate chuckles to herself, “There’s a bunch I still don’t know about you.”

“Well if you wanna learn,” Victoria walks up to the door and holds it open for Kate, “Buy a girl some dinner?”

Kate gives a most delighted grin to Victoria and makes her way into the place. The two get some sideways glances at how comically overdressed they are for this setting, but they don’t pay it much mind. For tonight, as a predictably sappy Ronnie Day love song plays over the restaurant speakers, there’s only the crunch of the batter of fried cod, the steam of clam chowder rising from a freshly baked bread bowl, and the laughter and smiles of two young women settling into their feelings for each other.

_“Said it’s a long way down when your hopes are high as mountains,_

_And I am worried that I’m falling for you.”_


	5. Super Honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty special chapter for me because this one is actually all original work, nothing derived from the source material. Therefore my initiative was to make it as fan-service-y as I could!
> 
> This makes quite a few references to my earlier Pricefield-centric series titled "Ain't Ever Getting Older." If you want an explanation for a few of the story elements, such as how does Chloe know how to speak Japanese, I'd encourage you to read that series.
> 
> Yes, I am going to pull a "Riverdale" on the characters here, in that they are gonna be made to be able to sing even though there's no real story explanation for why they have to sing. I just thought it'd make for a good time.
> 
> The songs that the girls perform here are all originally sung my male vocalists, so to give you guys a better idea of what they'd sound like if performed by women, here's a list of reference tracks
> 
> "My Girl" orig. The Temptations, cover by Renee Dominique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lirxLUdApz4  
> "Tequila" orig. Dan + Shay, cover by Kaylor Cox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39avphNaeC8  
> "Rain" orig. Motohiro Hata, cover by Miho Ishikawa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSltPV1NA6A  
> "Nandemonaiya" orig. Radwimps, cover by Raon Lee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4blMy9i9AE
> 
> For the Japanese spoken here, I could provide a translation if there's enough demand, but I think it'd be more fun for you guys if you tried to figure it out through context :P.

[ **"She was like a princess, straight from a dreamy castle in the air."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX0kJR6rCJU)

**iMessage**

**Today** 10:41 AM

**Chloe Price**

WTF?

**Victoria Chase**

The first text you send to me in over a year just says “WTF?” That’s pretty WTF behavior on your part.

**Chloe Price**

You got married?

To Kate Marsh?

How’d you get through that adamantium chastity belt of hers?

**Victoria Chase**

Only diamond can scratch diamond, only adamantium can scratch adamantium. I got X-23 involved. She owed me a favor.

**Chloe Price**

So you gals are in some polyamorous thing?

**Victoria Chase**

No way

I’d be too afraid to let Laura do the hand stuff

**Chloe Price**

Hand stuff?

What are you, in eighth grade?

**Victoria Chase**

What you and Max were doing in your attic during junior high is none of my business.

**Chloe Price**

Speaking of my better half, Max and I are coming to Seattle next week. We’re taking you guys out to celebrate.

**Victoria Chase**

Sounds ominous.

Just telling you now, I don’t do little spoon.

**Chloe Price**

In your dreams.

**Victoria Chase**

Yes, I do have those dreams, hence my constant need for therapy.

**Chloe Price**

I don’t have any gifs saved on this new phone. Just imagine I’m sending you the one of Robin Williams giving the middle finger to Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubtfire.

**Victoria Chase**

I’m envisioning it now.

See you soon

Kari Price :P

**iMessage**

**Today** 11:35 AM

**Max Caulfield**

Hey Kate!!

Not sure if Victoria mentioned it already, but Chloe and I are coming to visit you guys in Seattle.

**Kate Marsh**

I heard!!!

It’s going to be so much fun

**Max Caulfield**

I’m so looking forward to it

**Kate Marsh**

Can’t wait to see you

* * *

The first in-person reunion for all four women in what seems to be forever starts in the most inauspicious of settings. When Chloe had said she would be taking them to Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant, the other three had envisioned a hip, sleek establishment with chrome and marble décor and wannabe supermodels moonlighting as wait staff. Instead, they are meeting up in a dimly lit back alley more befitting of an illicit meeting between villains in a Raymond Chandler novel.

Despite the somewhat macabre surroundings, all of them are quite glad to see each other.

“Chloe, I do love what you’ve done with the hair,” Victoria remarks, referencing Chloe’s updated lob cut. The color is back to her natural strawberry blond but with blue accents at the tips.

“Getting back to my roots, quite literally,” Chloe replies. “Plus, blonds have more fun, am I right?” She high-fives her two golden-haired compatriots.

As the sole brunette, Max shoots back, “Should I be reaching for my peroxide then?”

“No, baby, I like you just the way you are,” Chloe teases as she tussles Max’s auburn locks.

“So what exactly are we doing here?” Victoria inquires. “I thought you were taking us to eat at Morimoto’s restaurant. This reminds me more of the scene in every Jackie Chan movie where he gets his ass kicked by Hong Kong gangsters.”

“Morimoto’s flagship is in Yuppieville, where you guys live,” Chloe explains. “But every once in a while, he gets bored of the restauranteur game, and he just wants to focus on making sushi. That’s when he comes here.” Chloe walks up to a rusty iron door. On the wall beside hangs an unassuming phone. Chloe removes the receiver and places it to her ear.

“ _Hai,_ ” speaks the man on the other line.

“ _Konbanwa,_ ” Chloe greets him. “ _Chichi no tengoku._ ”

“ _Nani?_ ” is the man’s bewildered response.

“Um...” Chloe seems to be thrown off herself. “Is it... _haha no chikyuu?_ ”

“What are you talking about?” the man switches to flawless English.

“Did you guys change the password without telling me?”

“Just give me your name. I’ll look it up on the guest list.”

Chloe scratches her head. “Price. Chloe Price.”

After a few silent moments, a buzzer sounds, and the heavy lock to the rusty iron door clicks open with a thud.

Chloe opens the door for her guests. “I guess they’ve really downgraded on security.”

The group makes their way up a stairwell which is only wide enough for them to proceed in single file. After a few floors, they come to a sliding door. When Chloe pulls it open, they are greeted with a scene of bedlam. The air is heavy with the cacophony of guests shouting orders and the wait staff (a couple of seemingly decrepit Japanese ladies who prove to be quite nimble on their ballet slipper adorned feet) hurl commands and affirmations back and forth. The plain white tile floor and paneled walls bear no decoration or embellishment of any kind. The room only accommodates about 10 tables, each of them a simple square of butcher block. Each table is arranged with four metal folding chairs, one on each side.

At the very heart of the action is Masaharu Morimoto, famed auteur of Japanese fusion cuisine and alum of the hit TV show Iron Chef. Behind his counter, Morimoto uses his practiced hand to slice up fish with both dizzying swiftness and diligent accuracy.

While he at first appears to be intensely focused on his work, he breaks out of his trance upon noticing Chloe walk in. “ _Chloe-san! Hisashiburi!_ ”

Chloe walks up to him and leans her tall frame over the counter to give him a hug.

“ _Ima wa doko ni sunde irundai?_ ” Morimoto asks.

“ _Ni, san nen mae ni_ Santa Monica _ni hikkoshimashita,_ ” Chloe informs him.

“ _Urayamashii naa,_ ” he exclaims. “ _Ore wa_ California _no kikoo ga sukida yo._ Seattle _wa samu sugirukara nee_.” He wraps his arms around himself and shivers.

“ _Moshi jikai otozureru youdeshitara oshiete kudasai ne. Biichi de osake demo nomimashou,_ ” she proposes.

“ _Tanoshimini shiteru yo!_ ”

“ _Watashi no kanojo wa oboete imasu yo ne._ ” Chloe wraps an arm around Max, who gives her own wave to Morimoto. “ _Soreto, kono futari wa watashi no tomodachi desu._ ” Chloe also gestures to Victoria and Kate. “ _Saikin kekkon shita bakari nan desu yo._ ”

Morimoto tries his best to express his sentiment in a way the newlyweds could understand, “Marriage, super happy! Congratulations.”

Her one semester of study abroad hasn’t let her become as fluent as Chloe, but Kate can still manage a smooth “ _Arigatou gozaimasu._ ”

“ _Dakara,_ ” Chloe goes on, “ _Oten no tokubetsu menyuu o onegaishimasu._ ”

Morimoto gives a spirited “ _Hai!_ ” in response.

“You guys are gonna love this,” Chloe promises.

Tonight, it’s simply nigiri being served. Raw fish atop rice. No hiding behind ponzu reduction or spicy mayo or any kind of silly garnish. Soy sauce and wasabi only in predetermined portions. The food speaks for itself, and Morimoto can make it sing. The girls aren’t even offered chopsticks, Morimoto insisting that the heat from their fingers should melt the fish into the correct texture.

And so they stuff themselves with generous helpings of tuna, yellowtail, octopus, pufferfish, salmon and sea urchin. Morimoto even uses his hot plate to whip up a quick yakisoba and an okonomiyaki.

“Mm,” says Kate as she delicately licks some soy sauce from her fingertips. “Definitely as fantastic as promised. Thanks so much for taking us here, Chloe.”

Max chimes in, teasing Chloe, “At least I could enjoy it this time without having to walk in on you with Mr. Midlife Crisis.”

“Wait, what is this you’re saying?” Victoria eagerly queries.

“That’s too long a story even for tonight,” Chloe explains.

“Well, maybe all the better,” Victoria says, “Because those guys have been eyeing us since they walked in.”

Victoria subtly gestures to two men at a table near the opposite wall. They look to be in about their mid-30’s, but that’s where the similarities between them will end.

One of them has wavy light brown hair which sits in a loose and casual style atop his head. His beard is teetering on the verge of unkempt status, definitely will need a trim within the next few hours. He wears a red and black flannel shirt with dark jeans and brown boots that look like they’ve walked 500 miles and then he turned right around and walked 500 more. But despite what could be considered a frumpy presentation, his achingly sincere puppy dog eyes and general “aw shucks” demeanor make him seem quite endearing.

The other gentleman has a clean-shaven and obviously well-moisturized face. Pomade has been applied with painstaking precision to each strand of his jet black hair, locking it into a sporty yet refined style. His fitted gray V-neck t-shirt demonstrates that yes, he does indeed lift, bro, and he also wears some well-creased chinos and suede chukkas.

Chloe gives her best Sulu impression: “Oh my.”

“Let me guess which one you’re ogling,” Max says, “You’ve always been into the beefcakes. So predictable.”

Victoria interjects, “I dunno. The other one is sorta cute in that Ryan Reynolds in Definitely, Maybe kinda way.”

“Well, the beefcake is cute in a Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool kinda way,” Chloe says.

“Before or after the cancer?” Victoria asks for clarification.

“Before! What kind of shit do you think I’m into?”

“I’m not here to judge you.”

“They’re coming this way!” Kate points out.

The one described as Deadpool Ryan Reynolds speaks first. His voice comes backed with a smooth Dublin accent. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Hello yourself,” Chloe, with an ear-to-ear grin, is the first to reply.

Max rolls her eyes.

Deadpool goes on, “My name’s Fergal, and this sad sack of potatoes is my big brother, Glen.”

Glen gives a meek wave. Clearly it wasn’t his idea to accost four perfect strangers.

“We were just wondering if you would care to join us for some drinks tonight,” Fergal offers.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say we would certainly care to,” Chloe states. “But just so that we’re all clear about the expectations,” Chloe reaches out and snatches Max, who nearly spills her Asahi Super Dry, “This one’s with me.” Chloe makes a show of planting a comically slobbery kiss on Max’s forehead.

“Oh!” Victoria snaps to attention, “And us too.” She takes Kate’s hand into hers.

“See?” Glen shouts to his brother, “I told you!”

“Wow,” says a chuckling Fergal, “You’ll have to pardon me. I thought this was a hen party.”

“He is way behind the times,” Glen explains.

“But I am curious,” Chloe says. “Which of us did you two actually have your eyes on? See, you’ve got the hip, feisty rocker chick.” Chloe gestures to herself. “There’s the glitzy, glamorous fashionista.” Chloe motions to Victoria, who offers her own dignified wave to the two gentlemen. “Or,” Chloe points at Max and Kate, “There’s plain white toast and plain wheat toast.” As Chloe laughs aloud, Max gives her a slap on the arm.

“I’m guessing my bro here would be taking anything he could get,” Fergal says with a self-satisfied guffaw.

“Piss off!” Glen gives a playful shove to his brother.

Fergal continues, “Me on the other hand, I’m gonna need some more encouragement to get that honest.”

“Oh, it’s truth serum you’re needing?” Chloe responds with a challenging tone. She turns to the chef. “Morimoto-san!”

“ _Hai!_ ”

“ _Oten no tokubetsuna_ whisky _o onegaishimasu_.”

“ _Daijoubu kai?_ ” he asks with surprise. “ _Tomodachi wa nomeru no kai?_ ”

“ _Daijoubu desu yo!_ ”

“I think you guys just earned yourselves some trouble,” Max warns.

A waitress brings to the table a tall bottle, glass the color of dark ash.

“And what is it we have here?” Fergal asks as he and Glen pull up some chairs. It’s a bit challenging to fit so many seats around the small table, but they find an arrangement that works.

“You’ve heard of black label. Well, this is no label,” Chloe explains as she sets out six shot glasses. She points to the bottle, which, as she said, bears no identifying information of any kind. “I don’t even think it has an English name. The best translation I can think of is something like ‘Fortieth Heavy Sheep.’” She pours the golden brown liquid into the glasses with all the glee of a backwoods witch brewing up her favorite potion. “Legend has it they used to serve this to kamikaze pilots before their fateful flights.”

“I think I’ll be OK with just my Shirley Temple,” Kate says.

Chloe insists, “Kate, these fine boys have come all the way from...where are you from?”

“County Wicklow,” answers Glen.

“Right,” Chloe confirms, “The place where they make Lucky Charms.”

Fergal cackles.

“So in good manners, please join us.” Chloe slides the glass in front of Kate and makes a hasty sign of the cross above it. “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. The blood of Christ!”

“Blasphemy must be the special ingredient in this,” Max remarks.

The group of six each take their drinks and throw them back in unison. The liquid sears everyone’s throats as coughing and groaning promptly follows all around.

“That’ll put some hair on your chest!” yells Fergal.

“Why do you care?” Glen responds, “You just wax anyway!”

“Don’t hate me ‘cause I’m beautiful!” Fergal shoots back.

Chloe is already pouring out the next round. “So what brings you to Seattle?”

“We run a company that manufactures guitars,” Fergal explains. “Glen here is the musical mind, makes sure the design is acoustically sound and everything is up to standards for the audiophiles. Me, I run front of house, doing the sales, shaking hands, kissing arses, that sort of thing. We’re donating some pieces to a few afterschool programs in the city.”

“Hold on,” Max says as a revelation comes to her. “Glen and Fergal. You’re the owners of High Peak Acoustics!”

“How you like that,” Fergal says to his brother, “We’re famous!”

“I’ve been saving up to buy one of your guitars since I was about 12,” Max says, suddenly gaining newfound interest in the fellas. “I would kill to get my hands on one of those.”

“Well, we ain’t gonna endorse murder or anything, but we’ve got a demo with us at our table,” Glen points to the guitar case leaning against the far wall. “Care to give it a try?”

“You’re serious?” a wide-eyed Max responds.

“Wait a sec, Max,” Chloe inserts herself into the situation, as she is wont to do. “Am I hearing that you’re offering to play us a set?”

“What? No way!” Max protests

“I know this place is set up for karaoke. Let me see about getting the sound system arranged.” Chloe bounds up from her seat.

Max can only sit there with her mouth agape.

It’s only a few moments later that Max finds herself clutching Fergal and Glen’s guitar and with a microphone in front of her. Fortified with another helping of Fortieth Heavy Sheep, Max launches into an acoustic rendition of “My Girl.” Her cherubic vocals are complimented by the soothing notes she picks from the strings.

_“I guess you’d say,_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl.”_

“That’s me!” Chloe is sure to make clear.

_“Talking ‘bout my girl.”_

With the spirit moving her as well, Chloe performs “Tequila” in tribute of her fallen comrade Lonnie DeSoto.

_“Swearing on the bible, baby, I’d never leave ya._

_I remember how bad I need ya_

_When I taste tequila.”_

Max joins in with the refrains of “When I, when I, when I.”

The brothers take the stage next. Glen handles the guitar as Fergal croons the traditional folk song “Wild Mountain Thyme.”

_“And we’ll all go together_

_Where the wild mountain thyme_

_Grows around blooming heather._

_So would you go?_

_Lassie go.”_

“I think I just went through puberty again,” Chloe swoons.

Since the karaoke machine is set up anyway and wanting to keep with the theme of her setting, Victoria recalls one of her favorite animated films, Makoto Shinkai’s Garden of Words, and its main soundtrack theme “Rain” by Motohiro Hata.

“ _Doshaburi demo kamawanai to._

 _Zubunure demo kamawanai to._ ”

Her vocal training is evident as she sticks the landing on each note, draws out every harmony with graceful ease.

The true showstopper, however, doesn’t come until the end, when Kate gives a performance of “Nandemonaiya” by Radwimps.

“ _Yasashisa mo egao mo yume no katarikata mo,_

 _Shiranakute zenbu kimi wo maneta yo._ ”

Kate’s breathy vibrato gives the impression that her delicate words might break apart any moment, well fitting of this confession of the confusion one feels over how much she’s missed out on in her life.

“ _Mou sukoshi dake de ii._

 _Ato sukoshi dake de ii._ ”

Her humble pleading sinks deep into the hearts of her audience.

She leads the crowd through the rest of the song, the emotional peak climaxing when the score swells near the end.

“ _Kimi wa hade na kuraiyaa._

 _Sono namida tomete mitai na,_ ”

She implores with heartbreaking sincerity for you to just accept her help.

“ _Dakedo kimi wa kobanda._ ”

Kate averts her gaze in dejection.

In anticipation of the next flurry, Kate shuts her eyes.

“ _Koboreru mama no namida wo mite wakatta!_ ”

She makes it through in a single breath, nailing pronunciation on each syllable.

“ _Ureshikute naku no wa,_

 _Kanashikute warau no wa,_ ”

She belts out these lines, but settles back into a tranquil tone for the conclusion.

“ _Boku no kokoro ga_

 _Boku o oikoshitanda yo._ ”

As the instrumental winds down, she opens her eyes, to be greeted by applause from each and every member of the audience. For some reason, her vision first settles on the green eyes of a girl with short blond hair.

The night burns into dawn. The girls bid farewell to each other. On the cab ride back home, Kate, not as used to all-night affairs like her companions, starts to feel drowsiness setting in. As the rocking of the car lulls her into slumber, Kate settles her head on Victoria’s shoulder. Strangely, Victoria doesn’t want to move her.


	6. The Bird and the Worm

[ **“With fronds like these, well who needs anemones?”** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3maI_YJJQbI)

“We’re home,” says Victoria. She feels a sense of satisfaction to be returning to a place she calls home, and for some strange reason, it’s somehow even more gratifying to be sharing this home with Kate. With Kate’s head still resting on her shoulder, Victoria makes a gentle shrug to give Kate a small nudge.

“Mm,” Kate stirs. She raises her woozy head.

“Let’s go,” Victoria beckons.

They exit the cab. As they walk back to the condo, Kate leans her body ever so delicately against Victoria, who keeps a grip on her with one arm around her waist. They don’t have to exchange any words during the short trip.

With one arm still grasping Kate, Victoria unlocks the front door with her free hand, taking Kate back inside afterward. As they approach the couch where Victoria has been sleeping since moving in, their feet get awkwardly tangled together. The two stumble, and Victoria lets out a startled cry as they make a landing on the cushions.

Now atop Kate, Victoria looks down with wide eyes of shock. Kate, meanwhile, seems still too drowsy to register what’s just happened. In fact, the only reaction that this elicits from Kate is a rather dopey yet still adorable giggle.

And then something wholly unexpected.

Kate reaches up with her well-manicured right hand and brushes an errant strand of blond hair away from Victoria’s brow.

“So pretty,” Kate murmurs, nearly imperceptible.

With that, Kate’s eyes, already only half open anyway, shut completely. Her right hand slowly and softly falls back to her side. Her breathing becomes steady and gentle.

After confirming the exchange has concluded, Victoria releases a sigh. She gets back to her feet and adjusts her cardigan and skirt, which had been twisted around in the fall, back into order. She isn’t sure why she feels so compelled, considering there’s no one around to see her, maybe just a tic for when she’s not sure what to make of a situation. 

What exactly was Kate trying to express? Had she even really meant to, considering how tired and/or drunk she seemed to be? Could Victoria actually reciprocate it?

The only thing Victoria could be sure of, she didn’t hate having some human touch again.

* * *

Kate awakens in her own bed, unsure of how she made it there and unsure of how she slipped into her aquamarine pajamas again. She sits up, making sure to do so gingerly since her center of gravity is wobbling precariously. Outside her bedroom door, she can hear the bubbling noise of boiling liquid and the click-clack of knife on cutting board. Kate manages to step out of her room and sees Victoria plugging away diligently at the day’s chores.

She may not be dressed to the nines, but Victoria’s makeup, outfit, and overall demeanor are all clean and composed, showing no battle scars from the revelry of the previous night.

Victoria catches sight of Kate. “Oh hey, sleepyhead!”

Victoria was just trying to instill some joviality into the atmosphere, but her excitable tone reaches Kate’s ears and rattles around in her skull like a superball lined with sharp spikes.

“Aah...” Kate clutches at her temples.

“Oops,” Victoria reduces her volume to a whisper, “Sorry. I was just finishing up breakfast. Or maybe I should call it lunch?”

The Kit-Kat Klock on the living room wall reads close to 1 PM.

Kate runs her hand over the fabric of her pajamas. “Did you change my clothes again?”

Victoria giggles aloud. “Yes, I had to make sure to wash them immediately. Otherwise they’d smell like wasabi and stale beer forever.”

Victoria ladles the contents of her pot into a bowl for Kate, who drags herself to the dining table and clumsily sets her bottom down onto the seat.

Kate warily inspects Victoria’s offering. “Wh-what is...” The bowl contains a vividly red, chili paste infused broth, in which is floating a mishmash of ingredients including instant ramen noodles, kimchi, hot dogs, and Spam.

Victoria brings over some green onions she had been chopping and sprinkles them on top. “This is budae-jigae, a stew invented in Korea to cope with food shortages during the war. Apropos for us right now because, well, I haven’t gone shopping yet this week. And coincidentally, it is the single most effective hangover cure I’ve ever encountered. You need lots of salt and a heavy mass in your stomach to soak up all those toxins.”

Kate takes one sniff, and the hodgepodge of aromas simply doesn’t compute in her woozy head.

“Try not to think about it too hard,” Victoria urges, “Spoon in mouth, then repeat.” She places the utensil beside the bowl. “I’ll draw you a lavender bath for after you’re done eating.”

With a final endearing grin, Victoria heads to the bathroom and starts running the water. Peering back into the dining room, Victoria sees Kate approaching her food with not a little bit of trepidation. But somehow she finds that this myriad of flavors eventually marry quite nicely on her palate. She eats with continually increasing relish, and Victoria can notice some of the vigor returning to Kate. Victoria allows herself a smile of self-satisfaction.

* * *

Ever since getting married (or rather taking on live-in house staff), Kate has actually started to enjoy lunchtime at work. Today she’s taking a bite of a spicy barbecue turkey patty, served with brown rice and sautéed kale.

“How is married life, then?” Anthony asks her.

Kate swallows her food, following it with a sip of her mango smoothie, also homemade. “Every day,” Kate explains, “Is stable and fulfilling. Victoria’s doing so well to take care of everything, I have way more free time. I’ve started sketching again, you know.”

“Very nice. We’ll convert the conference room into your gallery,” Anthony offers.

“Why do you ask? Thinking about getting married yourself?”

“Me? Only if it’s to a partner with substantial merits.”

“And Katherine?”

“She’s got a lot of merits, for sure,” Anthony says, nodding along.

“Two of them, at least.” Kate points to her shirt.

“Hey, that’s my old lady you’re talking about,” Anthony chuckles as he playfully slaps Kate in the arm with his newspaper. “I think the question’s always been whether her merits and mine go together and make us better as a whole? Better than each of us would be by ourselves?”

“I find it hard to imagine you’d be able to give credit to someone else when you improve on something.”

Anthony responds with a hearty laugh. “Speaking of Katherine, she wants to meet Victoria before leaving for Italy.”

“Oh, really? I guess I can check with Victoria tonight.”

“Definitely. Then we can see how your merits have been enhanced.”

“Well, you can’t expect too much improvement on perfection,” is Kate’s sardonic reply.

* * *

“Sunday at 5,” Victoria confirms. “Totally. Sounds fun.”

“Sorry it’s gonna be a bit more work than a usual dinner. I can pay you extra if you like,” Kate proposes.

“No, don’t worry. I’m excited to meet Katherine McBride. I’ve been watching her travel vlogs for years.”

“That’s right, I guess I haven’t really kept up with her work there. I’ve known her for so long, and to me, she’s still just an account manager for an apparel manufacturer.”

“Is that her day job?” Victoria pours some mulled apple cider as an after-dinner drink.

“Yeah, they send her out to the international offices several times a year. It’s how she can go around the world so often.”

Victoria sighs. “What a charmed life. I can only dream.”

“Hey, we’ve got our own things going on here,” Kate protests. “Aren’t we binging Reply 1997 tonight?”

“Yes! We are still on. You want kettle corn or caramel corn?”

“Both, duh!”

* * *

Knocking comes to the heavy iron door to unit 410 by early Sunday evening. Victoria and Kate gather at the entryway.

“It’s our first time hosting guests,” Victoria points out. “Nervous?”

“Nah,” Kate says. “Compared to the family dinner, this’ll be a cakewalk.”

The two give determined nods to each other. Kate opens the door to greet their guests. Anthony holds out a gift of champagne, and next to him stands Katherine. Similar to her boyfriend, Katherine is above average in height. Her hair is colored a light shade of blonde, almost beige actually, and runs down to her back. Her dark brown eyes peek out from behind glasses with sharp rectangular lenses and thin black rims. She’s dressed in a black turtleneck sweater of thin fabric with sleeves rolled up to her forearms. Her black pants hug her waist and hips tightly but flare out just slightly past her calves. Black wedge pumps complete the ensemble.

After the customary exchange of greetings and hugs, Kate leads everyone to the dining table, on top of which Victoria has arranged a sumptuous spread for dinner.

“I figure you’ll be getting real sick of Italian food pretty soon,” Victoria explains, “So I tonight I went with prawns in chili sauce, with veggie spring rolls and steamed pork pot stickers.”

“Cute and cooks like a star,” Katherine compliments her. “Kate, you said you’ve known her since high school. What took you so long to finally put a ring on?”

Kate finds herself thrown off-balance at this inquiry. “We...”

Stepping in, Victoria places a confident arm around Kate’s slim waist. “We were growing into the best versions of ourselves for each other.”

Victoria gives Kate a gentle squeeze, a gesture which Kate is becoming more and more fond of.

After the main course, Katherine and Kate sit on the sofa to do a little catching up while Anthony helps Victoria with dessert in the kitchen. Contrary to her initial objective to avoid Italian food, there’s a cannoli recipe that Victoria had been dying to try. Victoria drops some of the dough shells into her pot of oil while Anthony stirs the filling.

“You don’t ever think you’ll get married?” Victoria asks.

Anthony chuckles. “Everyone’s asking me that these days, huh? I dunno, just seems a little troublesome.”

“How do you mean?”

“It feels like you’d be obligated to share all your time with someone else. I prefer to be free with my time. Maybe I’m too selfish for marriage.”

“Or,” Victoria retrieves some of the fully cooked shells from her oil with a wire mesh strainer, “It could be that you’re showing consideration for your partner’s feelings. You already know what’s important to you, so you don’t want to steal time away from the other person either.”

Anthony nods in affirmation. “I like your interpretation better. Does it worry you, though? You have less time for yourself now that you’re married, right?”

“No, Kate and I have a good structure for our schedules. I do try my best to work hard in order to justify the salary.”

“Salary?”

Victoria releases a sharp gasp. “It...” she laughs uneasily, “It’s just a metaphor. I just mean that if she and I carry out our duties as intended, we’re both free to do what we like.”

Having judged the filling to sufficiently mixed, Victoria takes the bowl from Anthony.

“Makes enough sense to me, I guess," he replies.

Victoria dips a finger into bowl and gives it a taste. “Mm, nice. You try.”

Anthony follows her example and samples the mixture for himself. His eyes widen in delight. “That’s incredible!”

“You think so?”

“Seriously. My nana’s Italian. We’re talking old-school, still-keeps-onions-in-stockings-under-the-staircase Italian. She’d approve for sure.”

“Aw, it’s always nice to hear some encouragement.” Victoria places her hand on Anthony’s arm.

As Victoria and Anthony laugh together, the shrill cry of the emergency broadcast system rings out from the TV in the living room. Aside from the boilerplate text, the screen shows a warning of heavy snowfall in King County and an advisement for residents to stay indoors.

“Oh wow,” Katherine remarks. “It’s gonna be hell getting back to Ravenna.”

Kate and Victoria shoot some anxious glances to each other. They retreat to the bedroom in hopes of forming a plan.

“We can’t just kick them out into the storm,” Kate points out.

“I agree, but we don’t have a spare bedroom,” Victoria replies. “If they see me sleeping on the sofa, that’ll raise questions for sure.”

Kate paces around the room for a moment. “We’ll stay in the room, just for tonight. You can have the bed. I’ll take the floor.”

“What? No, I couldn’t. I don’t want to impose.”

“But I invited them in the first place. It’s just one night, I’ll be fine.”

With the arrangement finalized, Katherine and Anthony are offered some blankets and pillows for hunkering down in the living room. After washing up and getting into their pajamas, Kate and Victoria retire to what will be, just for tonight, their bedroom.

As Kate shuts the door behind her, she feels the nerves creeping into every fiber of herself. “Well...” she mutters, “I think I’ll just get straight to sleep. It’s been a long day.” She settles down onto the floor and is about to pull the periwinkle comforter with polka dots over herself.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Victoria counters. “Let’s just share the bed. I don’t bite. Or snore. I promise.”

“But there’s only one pillow.”

Victoria scans the room and snatches the stuffed Rilakkuma from Kate’s desk. “I’ll manage.” She motions for Kate to take her spot on the narrow mattress, truly only intended for a single sleeper.

Kate climbs under the sheets with all the wariness of someone about to dive into a well with no visible bottom. Victoria gets into the spot beside her. Each girl lies on her side, both looking straight ahead at the other. The space is cramped, for sure, but mysteriously the girls find themselves settling into a coziness which belies the tight confines.

“Not so bad?” Victoria asks.

“Not bad.” Kate affirms.

“Great,” Victoria whispers as she beams a bright smile.

Now so near to Victoria, Kate finds herself catching--and admiring--every single detail in her smiling face.

“I’ll let you sleep,” Victoria says.

As Victoria is about to shut her eyes, another matter comes into focus in Kate’s mind. “Victoria?”

“Hm?”

“The night we went out with Max and Chloe, I remember us being on the sofa. But that’s all.” Kate looks back quizzically at Victoria. “Did something happen?” Kate sighs sharply in frustration at how awkward she’s phrasing this. “Like, between us?”

“Oh. No, of course not,” Victoria reassures her. “You fell asleep.”

Kate releases a deep breath. “I see.”

“Well, don’t sound so relieved,” Victoria teases.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just...” Kate tenses her lips, “I may no longer be the walking abstinence billboard I was back in school.”

Victoria grins at Kate’s self-deprecation.

“Still, I have my personal beliefs on that matter,” Kate clarifies further. “I think anybody can just get wasted and hook up or whatever. I don’t want it to be some blind, random thing. For me, I want it to be about this feeling that I usually have to guard from the world. I hide it because there’s just so many ways for it to go wrong. Others can take advantage of it. I might push it on someone who’s not ready to receive it. It can start off as something beautiful and pure but maybe it doesn’t grow the way it should and becomes twisted in the end. There’s so much danger with that feeling. But when there’s that one person who can protect me and make me secure in myself, I can finally let that be free.” Kate looks back at Victoria apologetically. “I guess that’s the silly idea I’m holding onto.”

“Hey, you don’t have to justify anything to me,” Victoria tells her in a comforting tone. “I completely respect where you’re coming from. I know what the arrangement is supposed to be between us, and I’d never violate that.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Kate smiles back warmly. She means for this next comment to be something light, casual, and easily discarded, but it ends up revealing quite a lot more than intended. “To be honest, I always thought my first time would be on my wedding night.”

Victoria reels a little when the full implication of that last statement becomes clear.

Kate realizes it too, and her eyes go wide in fright. “I mean...”

“Are you...you’re still...”

“Um...” A panicked Kate hastily rolls over, turning away from Victoria. But just before she turned away completely, and even in the darkness, Victoria noticed an intense redness setting into Kate’s cheeks.

“Good night, Victoria. I had a very pleasant evening,” Kate calls out to the girl behind her.

Victoria tries her best to stifle a light giggle. As she waits for sleep to overtake her that night, Victoria ponders the path of her life when compared to Kate’s. Victoria had always what she considered to be typical experiences with sex. She wasn’t some cloistered nun, nor was she Jenna Jameson.

Kate’s handled herself in a way that had always been out of Victoria’s consideration, but having listened to how Kate explained her thinking, Victoria found a certain intriguing beauty in that philosophy.

Victoria recalls how she had talked about wanting to be chosen. When it comes to the person who can “protect” Kate, someone who makes her “secure” in herself, what kind of person would Kate choose?


	7. Dental Care

[ **"I've been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill. I smooth my hair, sit back in the chair, but somehow I still get the chills."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3BBj06JAfc)

“All right, I’m glad we could settle on those things. Thanks again for taking the time today.” With that farewell, Anthony shuts off his video chat program. He looks out the window of his 10th floor office to see the first rays of sunrise creeping out above the horizon. He checks his Fossil watch and confirms there’s still about a half hour or so before the majority of other office staffers would show up.

He scrolls through his phone while taking a sip of coffee. His social media feed highlights a memory of a past dinner date with Katherine. It was the time the two of them went to eat at Ramen Danbo. She’s wiping off some of the steam that had accumulated on her glasses from the warm bowl of soup in front of her.

Switching over to his WhatsApp, he finds Katherine in his contacts.

After a few rings, she answers. “Hey, Anthony. What’s up? Kinda early for you, no?”

He never failed to smile at the sound of her voice. “Yeah, I had a conference call with the people in London. You doing OK? How’s Italy treating you?”

“Just trying not to eat everything in sight. It wouldn’t look so good if the account manager couldn’t fit into her own company’s clothing, right?”

He laughs along with her.

“It’s completely gorgeous.” she continues. “Have you thought about any souvenirs you wanted?”

“Actually, that’s kinda why I called today,” he replies. “I was thinking I have some vacation time saved up. Maybe I could swing by for a visit? We can take in some sights together?”

“Oh, Anthony...” From the other line, the heels of her pumps could be heard pacing anxiously around the floor. “I just don’t know. My schedule’s honestly all over the place these days. I’d feel terrible if you came all this way and I couldn’t find time for you.”

Anthony grimaces. “Right. Yeah, I get it.”

“Look, I’m only here for a couple more months. When I get back, how about we book a trip then?”

Anthony facepalms and is thankful she can’t see him. “Looking forward to it.”

“Great. And please tell Kate and Victoria it was a pleasure meeting them.”

“Sure thing.”

“To be honest, though, I did notice something that for some reason I haven’t been able to get out of my head recently.”

“What is it?”

“Well, when we were getting ready to leave the morning after, I dropped my hair clip. It ended up rolling into the bedroom. I peeked in and noticed that it’s a single bed. Only one pillow too.”

“You...you’re sure?”

“Pretty sure. It doesn’t really look like they sleep there together.”

“That’s...”

From Katherine’s end of the line, another male voice could be heard. “Katherine, andiamo!”

“Uh...” Katherine stammers, “Well, I should really be going now. Thanks for calling, Anthony.”

The bleep of the line disconnecting strikes before Anthony could give his goodbye. The sting of getting hung up on would catch up to him later. For now, that observation about the quirk in the Chase-Marsh bedroom is ultimately what hangs on his mind.

* * *

“And I want a pound of the chuck. From the back please.” Victoria makes her order from the mustachioed butcher (nametag reading “Richard”) at downtown Seattle’s Whole Foods.

“You got it.” Richard grabs the hunk of meat from the refrigerated case and brings it to the back for cutting.

She hears a familiar voice from behind her. “Victoria?”

Turning around to see Anthony pushing his own shopping cart, Victoria greets him with her signature smile of cordiality. “Hey Anthony.” She goes over to give him a warm hug. “You been OK?”

“Fine, getting by. You and Kate? Hopefully Katherine and I didn’t intrude on you guys too much that night.”

“Oh, not at all. We’re happy to help out. How’s she been in Italy?”

“She’s...” Anthony chuckles bleakly, “Yeah, she’s having her own fun, that’s for sure.”

“Can I help you, sir?” Richard asks.

“Yeah, two veal shanks, cross cut,” Anthony responds.

With a short nod, Richard heads to the back again.

“Big plans for dinner?” Victoria inquires to Anthony.

“I’m just picking up a few things for the personal chef.”

“Ah, always nice to have someone do it for you, no?”

“Yeah he’s been great the past few years. But he’s about to retire and move back to France. That’s why I’m glad I ran into you, actually.”

“Oh?”

“I meant what I said about the food you made. It was really amazing. If you’re looking to earn some extra cash, would you consider coming over to do some work for me?”

“Um...” Victoria sweeps away some of the blonde bangs that had fallen low across her brow. “I guess I have to think about it. Maybe talk it over with Kate.”

“Absolutely. Just figured I’d float it out there. You could use those skills to earn an actual salary, not just, how did you put it, a ‘metaphor,’ right?”

Victoria laughs uneasily. “Yes. Exactly, that would be nice.”

“Here you are, sir,” Richard places one parcel of meat on the counter for Anthony. “And you, ma’am.” Another bundle for Victoria.

Anthony places his food into the cart. “Let me know what you decide.”

Victoria gives him another gentle smile, and Anthony pushes his cart away.

* * *

“Mm.” Kate finishes her last bite of pan-fried trout. “That was delicious.”

“Great to hear.” Victoria picks up the empty plates.

“Any plans for dessert?”

“I was thinking cherries jubilee.”

“Then at least let me wash the dishes.”

“OK, sure. About 30 minutes.”

Victoria grabs a container of Bing cherries from the crisper. She absentmindedly pops one into her mouth, but upon biting down, a severe, piercing pain shoots across the entire right side of her mouth. Her shriek of agony echoes into the night.

* * *

Dr. Jeffrey Chase, DMD places his sister’s X-rays on the lighted board. “It’s as I thought,” he states. “You basically shattered the entire crown. That sharp pain you’re getting is from the chips of tooth poking into the nerve there.”

“Lovely,” Victoria remarks, her words a bit muffled by the ice pack she needs to keep pressed against her cheek.

“I can write you a scrip for some Vicodin to help with the pain in the meantime, but I’m gonna have to recommend getting an entirely new implant.”

“Ugh, seriously?”

“I thought I told you to keep an eye on this.”

“Yeah, but I just started taking a bunch of aspirin, and it went away. I thought I was fine.”

“Well, here are your options now.” He pulls out a brochure from his drawer and opens it for Victoria. “Stainless steel is the cheapest, but you’ll probably end up looking like Jaws. The James Bond villain, not the giant shark.”

“I get it.”

“Then there’s plastic, but seeing as how you drink coffee like you’re Christian Bale on the third straight day of reshoots, it’s probably gonna end up getting stained within a few years. Then we’ll be right back here.”

“So what’s left?”

“Ceramic is the best bet.”

“And that’s $4,000?!”

“Right, your dental plan has a waiting period for major procedures like this, so it’s gonna have to be out of pocket, I’m afraid.”

“I do not have that kind of money.”

“Look, I know it’s been difficult for you to find work, so how about I just float you the money? I don’t think Bayley would mind.”

“I don’t have any way to pay you back. I already said I’m not just gonna skate by on family handouts anymore.” The girl sighs hugely. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”

“Have it your way.”

Victoria can be heard grumbling as she crumples up the brochure and stuffs it into her Etienne Aigner handbag.

“Hey, we haven’t really been able to talk since the dinner,” Jeff says. “You been OK otherwise? How are things with Kate?”

“Oh.” Victoria is just slightly taken aback at her brother taking a seemingly spontaneous interest in her life. “Kate’s great. She’s very kind, understanding. Appreciates everything I do.”

“Good to hear.” Jeff nods. “I’m glad you have someone now. Truth be told, I always felt really guilty I couldn’t be there for you more. You know, after the storm.”

“What? No, don’t think like that. You were still trying to finish med school, and Bayley was pregnant with Annie. You had a lot going on for yourself too.”

“Even so. I’m still your big brother. I feel like I owe it to mom and dad too.”

“You’re doing your best. So am I. I’d like to think that’d be enough for them.”

Jeff takes a relieved sigh. “Cool. Did we just end up having an actual conversation, by the way?”

“Yeah, let’s be careful to avoid that in the future.”

“Agreed.” He reaches for a bowl of candy. “You want a Tootsie Pop?”

“Why are you giving these away? Isn’t that how people get cavities?”

“How do you think we stay in business?”

Victoria grabs a handful. “Sneaky motherfuckers.”

* * *

“Sorry about how slapdash dinner is tonight,” Victoria says, still rubbing the side of her mouth.

“No, don’t worry,” Kate responds. She eats a spoonful of the chicken and vegetable curry that Victoria had thrown together. “It’s still very nice.”

“You’re too kind.” Victoria sets down her bowl of rice pudding, one of her few dietary options until the pain meds kick in.

“I know the procedure can get pretty expensive,” Kate says as she fiddles with her spoon. “Are you sure I can’t just let you borrow the money?”

“Kate, you have been a generous boss, a kind friend, and, if I may say, a world-class fake wife.”

Kate grins.

“But I’ll be damned if you’re gonna end up being my loan shark,” Victoria says resolutely. “I always figure something out.”

Kate hesitates for a moment, but eventually nods in agreement.

“Actually, I ran into Anthony at the market last weekend,” Victoria points out. “He made me an interesting proposition.”

“What is it?”

“He’s looking to hire a new personal chef. I texted him a little earlier today, and he just needs someone for a few hours on the weekends. Make him some quick meals that he can save for the rest of the week, you know? And he’s offering to pay double your rate.”

“I...” Kate takes a sip of her water to force down the lump in her throat. “I see.”

“I think this is honestly the opportunity I’m needing,” Victoria explains. “I’m gonna work hard to make sure this doesn’t interfere with things here. I’ve gotten a lot more efficient at most chores, and I can finish them much faster. If need be, I can just make up the hours later at night. Would that be OK?”

Kate sets down her spoon, the knot in her gut suddenly stealing away her appetite. “I guess...” She diverts her gaze. “Yeah, I think that’s a fine idea.”

Victoria smiles in relief. “Great. I’ll let him know I can start the Saturday after I get my tooth done. I’ll make something big for you and pack it into containers so you can heat it up later, all right?”

When Kate is finally able to bear looking back, all she has to offer Victoria is a dispirited smile.

By now Victoria had already taken hold of her phone. “Hey Anthony? Yes, I have great news.”

* * *

The front lock to Anthony’s craftsman style house clicks open.

“After you,” he offers.

With paper bags of groceries perched on each arm, Victoria steps inside. Immediately she can feel her bones being warmed by the cozy, lived-in atmosphere of her surroundings. “Wow, such a beautiful home.” She gets the impression the space has been cared for as if it were not just some building but in fact another member of Anthony’s family.

“Thanks. My dad bought the land when he found out my mom was pregnant with me. Laid the foundation himself.”

“No wonder the condition’s so great.”

“After he died and my mom retired to Arizona, everyone was telling me I could get a mint for this place, but I couldn’t bear to part with it in the end. I’ve been trying to restore things here and there.”

“Look, I like living in the city, but Kate’s place has always been a little, what’s the word, snug?”

Anthony chuckles. “It’s a bit more of a commute for me, but I’ve always thought it was worth it.”

The two make their way to the kitchen in the back and set the groceries down on the counter.

“What do I have to look forward to for dinner tonight?” Anthony asks.

“In tribute to your nana who still hangs the onions in stockings under the stairs, how about Banza pasta with cherry tomato and zucchini in olive oil and white wine sauce?”

“Nana would be proud.”

Victoria laughs as she starts filling up the pot with some water.

“Hey, Kate told me she was going to the office tonight,” Anthony recalls. “Said she’s taking care of some last-minute things.”

“That’s right,” Victoria confirms.

“So you don’t have dinner plans?”

Victoria tilts her head inquisitively. “No, I guess I don't.”

“Care to join me then? I’ve got a bottle of Haut-Medoc from Bordeaux that’d go perfect with what you’re making.”

“Hmm,” Victoria considers the pairing and decides that, yes, it would in fact be quite tasty. “Sure, that does sound really nice.”

“I can’t pay you overtime, though,” Anthony teases.

Victoria playfully slaps him in the arm. “I’m not that greedy.” She takes her phone from her handbag. “I just need to let Kate know I’ll be late.”

“Sure thing.”

* * *

Kate sits before her desk at Puffin Publishing House. Her only companions are the janitorial staff vacuuming the floor and emptying the garbage. She had claimed to have extra work that needed finishing. The truth is she just couldn’t bear the empty space of her condo tonight.

She can’t completely explain the gnawing sense of emptiness she felt without Victoria in her home. Kate had lived by herself for so long. What’s the big difference now?

The notification tone plays on her phone.

**iMessage**

**Today** 5:05 PM

**Victoria Chase**

Anthony invited me to stay for dinner. Didn’t think you’d mind.

I’ll make tomorrow’s breakfast extra delicious for you ;)

Kate looks at the lonely Tupperware of ground turkey and chickpeas with coriander and cumin. Seeing the janitor approaching, she dumps the contents into her own trash bin.

* * *

“And I told them I would NOT be eating that nasty bug,” Victoria pours herself another generous glass of red wine. “That’s what they are, you know. They’re related to cockroaches.”

Anthony groans. “Oh, please do not ruin lobsters for me.”

“So I snuck into the kitchen, took the cooler and dumped them out onto the floor. They were crawling everywhere!”

“No way, you pulled an Annie Hall?”

“Yes!” Victoria lets out a vivacious laugh, no doubt bolstered by the alcohol. As more of her hair falls across her eyes, she tries to blow a breath up in hopes of pushing the loose strands away. She doesn’t summon enough air to move anything, and the futility of her effort sends her into another fit of giggles.

Anthony casually reaches forward and uses his fingers to smoothly brush aside her silky hair.

Victoria can’t help but shudder a bit at his touch.

The moment is broken up with a notification from her phone.

“That’s my cab,” she announces.

“Right. Sure.”

The two scoot themselves off the bar stools on which they had been seated. Anthony plants his feet to the ground, no problem, but Victoria finds her legs wobbling. She teeters back a little, and Anthony catches her against his sturdy chest. With his hands bracing her shoulders, Victoria is reminded again of just how long it’s been since she’s been touched. She’d be lying if she claimed not to be enjoying it.

She wills her legs to stiffen up and turns back around to Anthony. “That wine’s strong.”

“You gonna be OK? I’ve got a spare bedroom.”

Anxious laughter is her initial response. It takes her a while to come to what she believes is the proper answer. “No, I’m doing French toast for breakfast. Have to start the batter tonight.”

“Gotcha.”

“I’ll just...” She adjusts her cardigan and skirt to make sure everything is back in place. “I’ll show myself out.”

“Good night, Victoria.”

Victoria marches away, unable to shake the sensation of Anthony’s gaze from behind her.

* * *

Kate tries to watch a few episodes of the Korean drama from her Recommended queue. She finds that none of the jokes land, and not even the lovey-dovey antics of Yoon Eunhye and Kang Jihwan can induce an ounce of joy from her. Her only emotional response comes as one of the theme songs plays, agonizingly appropriate for her circumstance.

_“Ijen neoreul dugo tteonaryeogo hae._

_Annyeong.”_

I’ll let you go and leave now. Goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suspect about 90 percent of you are too young to know what it means to pull an "Annie Hall." Maybe ask your parents or something :P.


	8. Deer in the Headlights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't call it a comeback.

[ **"If life was a game, you would never play nice. If love was a beam, you'd be blind in both eyes."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtsX8H7xSek)

“ _Bon appetit._ ” With evident self-satisfaction, Victoria sets the plate of decadent French toast topped with fluffy whipped cream and bright, jubilant berries in front of Kate.

Kate’s only reaction is to stare blankly at the dish. She picks up her fork and unenthusiastically picks at her food.

Victoria seems too busy taking pride in her work. She slices a piece for herself and pops it into her mouth. “Mm. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but...” She smiles broadly in delight.

Kate replies with a weak grin. She swallows her first bite, which tastes strangely bland. “How was dinner?” She tries to come off as disinterested, not succeeding so much. “With Anthony?”

Victoria takes a sip of her coffee, eyes lighting up as she reflects on last night. “I actually ended up enjoying myself a whole lot. I thought I’d see him more like a boss, but he’s really fun. Knows absolutely everything about Burgundy wine. You know he took a practice entry exam for the Court of Master Sommeliers and actually passed?”

“How nice,” is Kate’s dispirited response. She’d always been able to feel glad for Anthony’s achievements. He’s a great guy and even better friend. What was this gnawing sensation at her gut? She sets down her fork, which resounds with a thud against the oak dining table. “I actually remembered,” she stands from her seat, “One of the Sunday school teachers is sick this week, so they were asking for a volunteer to fill in. I think I’ll go to church early this morning.”

Victoria tilts her head quizzically. “But...” What was this sinking feeling of disappointment? She was here just to do a job. She made a meal, and she’d be paid regardless of whether Kate would eat. It’s not supposed to make a difference. “I thought we’d have breakfast together.” And yet she feels a world of difference.

“I’m just not that hungry.” Kate retrieves her peacoat from the closet without looking back at Victoria. “About Anthony,” Kate states matter-of-factly, “You guys have your own arrangement over there. It’s not related to me.”

“OK...” Victoria is too shaken by Kate’s suddenly icy transformation to conjure up any other response.

“And don’t talk about me over there either.” With that, Kate marches out of the condo, the heavy iron door slamming shut behind her.

* * *

Kate doesn’t return home until much later that evening. Victoria had already wrapped up her work at Anthony’s house and is working on some dusting when Kate walked through the door.

“Hey,” says Victoria, hoping Kate’s disposition from breakfast was only temporary. “You’re back later than usual.”

“I guess so,” Kate states simply, dashing Victoria’s hopes.

Victoria doesn’t give up just yet. “I’m honestly feeling really beat tonight. Can we just order takeout? My treat.”

“I got a burger and shake with some people from bible study, don’t worry.” Kate hangs her coat back in the closet. “I’m very tired too. I think I’ll just go to bed.”

Kate walks past a dazed Victoria. The lock to the bedroom clicks closed, the noise almost deafening to Victoria.

Kate had taken all day to consider this feeling. She had realized it was already very clear to her. It’s nothing more or less than _kanawanai koi_. Quite simply, unrequited love. She can recall how unproductive it is. Every time she’d end up hating both herself and the one she admired.

Upon listening to Victoria’s confession of how badly she wanted to be “chosen,” Kate had come under the impression that she and Victoria were the same. Maybe that had been true for a certain length of time. But someone like Victoria, it was only a matter of time before she would be chosen.

Now alone in her bed, once again, just as it had been for so many years before Victoria, Kate wonders if she should just let her go.

* * *

The next morning, Victoria had knocked on the door to Kate’s room and asked when she’d want breakfast. Kate replied that she’d prefer to sleep in this morning.

By the time Kate emerges from the bedroom, she is carrying a manilla folder in her hands. She places it on the dining table before Victoria and opens it to reveal a slip of paper with the title “Article Addressing the Case of Finding a Lover.”

Victoria glances over it in confusion. “What’s this?”

“I realize I was missing a key contingency clause in our contract,” Kate explains. “Our relationship is in reality nothing more than employer and employee. It’s very possible that in the course of normal life, you or I find someone that we want to actually date.”

Victoria reads from the document, “In the interest of preserving public image, any extramarital interactions are, to the best of one’s ability, not to be revealed. In the case of this other relationship becoming more serious, either party in this contract can decide to dissolve the existing marriage, and this employment contract will be promptly null and void.”

“Please take a final look over everything during the day. If there are no problems, feel free to sign it.” Kate buttons up her blazer and, just as last night, walks past Victoria.

This time, Victoria won’t be so easily phased. “You know what?”

Kate stops dead in her tracks. She doesn’t look back just yet.

“I actually have been thinking about dating someone,” Victoria continues.

That makes Kate look back.

“But you see,” Victoria holds up the paper, “This is going to make the matter very tricky. Having to arrange everything to be done in private so no one will find out, not even being able to talk about it with anyone, I think too much stress would build up.”

Kate nods slowly, hesitantly. She’s entirely unsure where Victoria should be heading with this.

“So in light of these circumstances, the only person I could imagine dating...” Victoria takes a few heavy steps toward Kate, who finds her steely disposition wilting. “It’s you, Kate.”

Kate’s jaw hangs slack, her knees almost liquefying.

“Kate Beverly Marsh, my very fake wife.” Victoria steadfastly locks her eyes with Kate’s. “Will you do me the honor...” Victoria takes hold of Kate’s soft, delicate hands. Kate isn’t able to put up any resistance, “Of being my very real girlfriend?”

Kate’s consciousness eventually emerges from its stunned stupor. “Is this a joke?”

“What’s to joke about? If we were dating, we wouldn’t have to hide it, not from each other, not from anyone else. There’d be no unnecessary worries for the either of us.”

Kate can only produce a nervous bit of laughter.

“I mean,” Victoria casually releases her grip of Kate’s hands, “If the prospect of being with me isn’t desirable for you...

“Well...” Kate visibly squirms in her stance.

Victoria likes it.

“What do you mean, exactly?” Kate posits. “Being with you?”

“Let’s just start simple,” Victoria states, “Eating our meals together, for example.”

“We already do that.”

“Going out to places together.”

“You can go out with friends all the same.”

“Then what about skinship?”

“Huh?”

Victoria explains, just as flippantly as if she were giving instructions for whipping together an omelet, “Hugging when we’re happy. Snuggling close when we’re tired.”

The novelty of this proposal still frightens Kate, but she can’t deny the prospect still appeals to her on a very profound level.

“If I’m having a bad day,” Victoria continues, “You pat my head and tell me everything will be OK. You have those times too, don’t you? When you’re struggling and you think just a simple hug could help you turn it all around?”

Kate feels a little chilled. It’s like Victoria had just glared right through her defenses, straight into her secrets.

“Hugging? And helping each other feel better?” Kate repeats, trying to get a better grip on these ideas becoming reality.

“That’s all I’m wanting,” Victoria concludes. “For now.”

Victoria’s devilish grin sends Kate reeling again.

“Tell you what,” Victoria offers, “You spend some time today thinking it over.” She takes the Tupperware container from the kitchen island and gives it to Kate. “I made your favorite, ossobuco with gremolata and Milanese risotto.”

Kate takes the offering into her soft, delicate hands.

“Hopefully you think of me.” Victoria punctuates this with a subtle, yet sly, wink.

Kate shuffles mutely to the door, her mind still occluded by the commotion she’s just been participating in. But as the heavy iron door closes behind her, she can just feel the slight twinges of a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much shorter than usual, but I hope to have given you guys some meat to chew through ;)


	9. The Saltwater Room

[ **"Tell me, darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?"** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWhTUlG4d8s)

During the cab ride to work, Kate’s head is still spinning. Victoria had always been a wild card. Could it be that she delights in catching people off guard with her bold, ostentatious propositions and then watching them wriggle under her grasp? Isn’t that a little cruel? And yet, Kate is finding that--in a very strange way that she can’t quite articulate--it’s actually quite thrilling to be ensnared in Victoria’s undertow.

Another mischievous smirk is about to spread across Kate’s face, but the buzzing of her phone cuts that off. She glances at the screen to see “Mom” on the caller ID.

Kate brings the device to her ear. “Hey, mom.”

“Katie dear, I’m so glad to have caught you,” replies Mrs. Marsh.

“Yeah, great to hear from you too.” If she were being completely truthful, Kate had plenty of other matters on her mind and would much rather dedicate her cognition on those, but she knew her mother well enough to understand her expectations of decorum. “What’s up?”

“I’m actually outside Portland now.”

Kate had figured it sounded like Mrs. Marsh was in her car.

“One of my old sorority sisters is arranging a charity 5K run for the Boys and Girls Club in Seattle,” Mrs. Marsh explains. “She asked for some volunteers to put it together, and I agreed to step in. I’ll be in town for about a week.”

“I see. Well, you know my condo is quite small...”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Mrs. Marsh reassures. “I don’t intend to be some interloper to the newlyweds. I’m being put up in the Four Seasons, no worries about my lodging.”

Kate sighs in relief, though she makes sure it’s not too audible on the other end of the line.

“I was just hoping we could get lunch today,” Mrs. Marsh proposes.

Kate looks at the container of ossobuco that Victoria had no doubt slaved over to put together for her. However, turning down her mother isn’t something anyone can do lightly, and Kate figures she didn’t want to tread that minefield today. “Yes, definitely, it’s gonna be so nice to see you.”

“Very glad to hear that. I’ll swing by your office a little after noon. See you then.”

Mrs. Marsh hangs up the call. Kate notices a flash of lightning from outside. She laughs to herself. When it rains, it indeed does pour.

* * *

Mrs. Marsh had caught some fortunate breaks in traffic, so she had made it to Kate’s office building a good 45 minutes before their scheduled meeting time. No matter, she decides. She’ll just order a mocha from the café in the lobby and catch up on the crossword from last Sunday’s New York Times.

At least that was supposed to be the plan until she notices a slender blonde woman in a miniskirt meeting with a tall, strapping lad sporting the fashionable five o’clock shadow. The woman is her new daughter-in-law Victoria and the man she recognized as Kate’s longtime friend from work Anthony. Either of these individuals by themselves Mrs. Marsh probably wouldn’t pay them much mind. The two of them together is an idea that puts her sensors on high alert.

Victoria can be seen handing to Anthony a bundle of pastries wrapped up in plastic and tied up at the top with some pink ribbon. Anthony beams a bright smile of appreciation, which Mrs. Marsh could tell he’s used to flashing at women. Victoria can be seen shuffling her feet bashfully and giggling. Even after Anthony turns to go back to work, Victoria’s grin hasn’t yet left her face.

Mrs. Marsh waits until Victoria is near the building’s exit before calling out to her. “Hello, Victoria.”

Victoria freezes in her step. She is at first admittedly surprised to see Mrs. Marsh of all people, but Victoria rebounds quickly enough to offer a composed and dignified smile of cordiality. “Mrs. Marsh! What a nice surprise. Kate didn’t mention anything about you being in town.”

“I’m in Seattle seeing an old friend, actually. Kate was just kind enough to take me for lunch today.”

“Ah I see. Well, I’d offer to join you guys, but I’m being kept pretty busy these days.”

“I can tell. Like making pastries for Anthony?”

Victoria is taken aback. She definitely hadn’t been aware of she and Anthony having been watched. “Oh that? I was making profiteroles for dessert tonight and had some extra ones lying about. I figured he’d appreciate it.”

“Right,” Mrs. Marsh’s sense of skepticism is palpable. Victoria could almost feel it grating on her skin. “I guess Kate had mentioned you always were Ms. Popular.”

Let’s be clear, Victoria is not and has never been the type to back down from anyone, man, woman, beast, whatever. Mrs. Marsh, though, is proving to be an entirely different animal. When she opts to break out that cold, steely glare, anyone with a pulse will find themselves reeling. That cold, steely glare will take a sledgehammer to your composure every time. Victoria had noticed some semblance of this during the family dinner, but that was Mrs. Marsh addressing practically everyone that way. Now that the focus is solely on Victoria, it’s proving to be way intense.

“I just...” Victoria can muster only some nervous laughter. “I just try to be nice to everyone.”

“Clearly,” Mrs. Marsh replies brusquely. “I imagine you are in fact quite occupied with your duties at home. So I’ll just let you get back to it.”

Unable to present much of anything meaningful for a response, Victoria gives up a discomfited smile and makes for the exit to the building.

* * *

Kate and her mother take their seats at Lecosho.

A mild-mannered waiter with a Geordie accent tends to them. “May I get you ladies something to drink?”

“Seltzer water,” Mrs. Marsh instructs. “And a glass of cava, please.”

The waiter nods, turns to Kate. “And you, ma’am?”

“Same is fine,” Kate states.

Mrs. Marsh only waits until the waiter has stepped away before launching in. “I got to your office a little earlier than expected today, and I ran into Victoria.” She checks her makeup in the mirror of her compact in an effort to put on an air of indifference.

“Oh yeah,” Kate remarks, “She mentioned she had made some extra desserts and was dropping them off for Anthony.”

“So you know that they meet together?”

Poor Kate never seems to catch on to her mother’s air of suspicion in time. “Anthony’s my friend, Victoria’s as well. Obviously they have the right to see each other.”

“It’s just that if I were to think back to how you described Victoria when you two were in school, she was supposedly someone who was always boy-crazy. Constantly after whichever airheaded hunk was next in line. Isn’t that what you had mentioned?”

“People can change, mom,” Kate protests, “It’s not like--”

Mrs. Marsh cuts her off by snapping shut her compact. “I’m not here to start a fight,” she interjects. “I’m just offering the observations of a deluded old lady.”

Kate is sent reeling a bit. No matter how steadfastly she prepares, her mother always did find some alternate avenue from which to ambush her.

“What sounds good for appetizers, then?” As usual, Mrs. Marsh drops her bomb into the scene, then tries to absolve herself of any involvement.

* * *

After waving goodbye to her mother as she drove away from the restaurant, Kate immediately dials up Victoria. “Hey, I just got out of lunch with my mom. She says she saw you and Anthony at the office today.”

“Yeah, I was gonna mention that,” Victoria replied, the recent memory still managing to shake her composure a little bit. “She basically gave me the Le Chiffre treatment. Well, minus the whipping with ropes, but still just as gruesome, let me tell you.”

“I grew up with it, I know exactly how you feel.”

“What’d she say to you?”

“Basically that you’re some kind of hetero sleeper agent.”

“Ugh, does the whole rivalry with one’s mother-in-law cliché have to be right every single time?”

“She isn’t the type who just believes what she hears. Her convictions are about as absolute as can be. And to be fair...” Kate paces around uneasily on the sidewalk, “It’s not like we’ve given her a lot of proof to the contrary. We didn’t have a ceremony. We don’t even post pictures of dates or anything that a married couple is supposed to be doing.”

“Fine.” Victoria takes a moment to brush away some errant blonde bangs away from her eyes. “She wants proof?”

Kate is slightly stunned by the suddenly defiant attitude, but she’d be lying if she claimed not to be at least a little thrilled too.

“We’ll show her,” Victoria resolves. “Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we’ll show her.”

“Um...” Kate couldn’t help but tremble a bit. “How?”

* * *

Victoria lays out her kilim (a souvenir from backpacking through Turkey) onto the grass of Olympic Sculpture Park. Atop this blanket she distributes a fanciful spread of picnic food: caprese sandwiches, roasted chickpea salad with Medjool dates and goat cheese, deviled eggs, and rosemary focaccia bread.

The two knew that Mrs. Marsh would be in the premises making some of the final preparations for the charity run. A picnic date is being staged with the intention of creating, as Victoria had put it, “a newlywed air.”

“She’ll be bringing some volunteers to put up banners around here,” Kate explains. “Should be any moment now.”

“Ready?” Victoria gazes intently at Kate.

“I...” Kate draws a deep breath to steel her will. “I think so. How do we start?”

“At least by sitting down?” Victoria gestures to the blanket.

“Oh! Right!”

The two take their seats. Victoria picks at some lint on her miniskirt. Once she grows bored of that, she takes one of the eggs and enjoys a bite. “Well,” she remarks after the first bite, “At the very least we can say we’ve gotten some great deviled eggs out of this mission.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kate says with an apologetic grin, “You worked so hard to make this food, and I’m too much of a wreck to eat anything.”

“You owe it to yourself, trust me.” Victoria takes another egg and holds it up to Kate, who eventually leans in and takes a bite.

“Mm!” Kate exclaims.

“I whipped some pickled jalapenos into the filling.”

“You’re seriously a genius.” Kate eagerly devours the next bite.

Victoria beams back at her in pride. “I only ever went on one picnic before, you know.”

“Really? When was that?”

“About sixth grade, I think. My mom had planned it as some kind of celebration for a photography contest I had entered.”

“I’m sure you guys had much to celebrate.”

“Not really.” Victoria’s expression turned instantly dour. “I was just starting taking photos, you see. The image came out way overexposed. My dad was furious.” She swallows a heavy lump in her throat and casts her stare to the ground. “He kept on saying, ‘You lost all the detail! Can’t see any of the shadows or highlights! You just need to adjust the aperture. What’s so hard?’ My mom shouting back at him to stop talking like a maniac.”

Kate grimaces. Suddenly the genesis of Victoria’s “take no prisoners” attitude has become painfully clear.

“My father,” Victoria laughs morbidly, “He was never the type to compromise. Especially when he got angry.”

Kate could hardly bear to look at Victoria now. Kate places a gentle hand on her shoulder. Not a moment too soon, as Victoria’s body starts to shudder with sobs. A few teardrops plop onto the fabric of her skirt. As it turns into a proper deluge of tears, Victoria covers her face with both hands.

“I miss him,” Victoria confesses, voice cracking with agony. “I miss everyone!” She bangs a firm fist into her lap. “I’d give anything...” In between her weeping, she tries desperately to fill her lungs with enough air. “Anything just to hear him bitching about my photos, just one more time.”

Victoria’s shoulders slouch over, as if she’s lost the will even to hold herself up. Despite never having been one for bold overtures, Kate still finds it in herself to clasp Victoria’s face, flooded with tears, in both hands.

“Hey,” Kate calls out softly to her. Once she’s sure Victoria could see clearly enough through her occluded eyes, Kate continues, “I’m still here.”

The tenderness of this action seems to soothe Victoria slightly.

Kate goes on, “You’re here. With me.”

Kate uses her thumb to rub away a lingering stream of tears from Victoria’s cheek.

“We’re together,” Kate announces. “Isn’t that so amazing?”

Victoria’s breathing settles. She sniffles. Kate’s hazel eyes lead her deeper into tranquility and comfort.

“What’s this then?” A voice calls out.

The two look in the direction of the speaker to find Mrs. Marsh. Across her face is a grin spread so wide that it would make the Cheshire Cat proud. “Aren’t you two just the most adorable couple?”

Victoria and Kate glance at one another. They laugh together, exchanging thoroughly self-satisfied smiles at having put on a successful show.

Or rather, they both have to wonder, was it just a show after all?


	10. Thunderstruck

[ **"I find in the days when you're in my dreams, the orchestra plays the prettiest themes."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUMbEMwfPrA)

As Kate and Victoria step past the heavy iron door to their home, they find that the smiles had not yet faded from their faces. Victoria sets the picnic basket and blanket on the kitchen island. She looks back to Kate, who is looking into the refrigerator and pretending to be fascinated by the decision between lemonade or iced tea. Victoria could still notice Kate’s adorably dorky grin, though.

“Well,” Victoria announces, “I’ve got some laundry to finish up. Thanks again for a great afternoon.” She flashes Kate another one of those trademark winning smirks.

“Victoria?” Kate calls back.

“Hm?”

“I was thinking back on what you had mentioned. About skinship?”

“Oh?”

“It does sound really nice, if I’m being perfectly honest.” Kate wrings her hands, clearly desirous of touching Victoria more and being touched more by her, though equally clear is her discomfort at having to come out and ask for it.

“Really?” Even Victoria is a little surprised by how giddy her own reaction is to the subject being broached again. “OK, that’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, it is good.” Kate smiles, a little more assured now that she’s finally able to put her feelings out there.

Recognizing that Kate has already taken a major step to get this far, Victoria resolves to take the reins from this point on. “Well, what are you comfortable to start with? No shame taking it slow. Just a hug, maybe?”

“Yes!” It was almost like Kate had jumped out of her antique slippers. “I mean...” She recognizes the need to reel it back just slightly. “Yes, sure, that would be great.”

“Sounds good.” Victoria flippantly opens her arms and makes way for Kate, who unexpectedly responds by holding up her own hand in front of herself.

“Actually,” Kate interjects, “I also wanted to clarify.”

Victoria looks back at her quizzically.

“I don’t want the work part of our relationship to get too badly muddled with the side that’s...” Kate purses her lips for lack of a better way to articulate it, “Whatever this is.”

Victoria nods back. “That’s fair.”

“So we should separate the time for this, whatever it is, from the work time.”

Victoria didn’t find too much to dispute about the logic of this. Definitely Kate’s logic was something that had proven to be so attractive in the first place.

“Maybe we should even set a schedule,” Kate offered. “Like, do it on a specific day. That way, we don’t have to be anxious about how frequently we’re supposed to do it, and we don’t have to keep wondering when the next time will be.”

“OK, I can work with that.”

“Why don’t we begin tomorrow then? Once a week? Every Tuesday will be a hug day.”

All right, Victoria had anticipated that they maybe would have to start slow, but the proposal for once a week is still a bit of a glacial pace for her. Still, though, she reminds herself where Kate is coming from and decides to be as patient as needed.

“Every Tuesday. Same as recycling day,” Victoria affirms. “Easy for me to remember.”

* * *

The next morning, as Victoria dropped off the bag of recyclables into the curbside receptacle, she could clearly feel a wide grin pulling itself across her face.

Her smile remains while she packs Kate’s lunch of stewed short ribs with potatoes and onions. Her smile remains while she whips up some quick scrambled eggs and sautéed tomatoes for breakfast.

Somehow the smile gets even more pronounced as Kate steps out of the bedroom, this time in her pajamas. It used to be that Kate had made sure to get dressed in her work clothes before leaving her room. Victoria takes this to mean Kate must’ve started growing more comfortable with her. Victoria feels a surging sense of pride.

Kate washes up, and the pair sits down to their food. They make some chitchat about the episode of Lie to Me they watched last night, where Kijoon and Ahjung sprayed cola all over each other.

Victoria picks up the dishes after they finish the meal. Kate changes into her outfit for the office and slips on her peacoat as Victoria hands her the lunch bag. The two women take a moment to beam at one another. Maybe no one else will comprehend the anticipation this couple feels over such a simple gesture. That hardly matters to them. The meaning of this one hug, its significance, the joy it brings, it can be just for them.

Just as before, Victoria reaches out with her slender arms extended open. She advances with several resolute steps and wraps around Kate’s delicate shoulders. Kate returns the gesture by snaking her own arms around the shapely curvature of Victoria’s hips, letting her hands settle near the small of Victoria’s back.

It’s astounding.

Their two bodies are technically two distinct entities. Their two bodies came into this world at separate times and for a while they existed independently of one another. But the way their two bodies now just seemed to fit together, how every minute detail from Victoria’s body seamlessly finds its matching point in Kate’s, the compatibility is simply astounding.

They don’t get to revel in the moment for nearly long enough. A sharp knock-knock-knock resounds against the heavy iron door. Kate opens the door to find her mother standing at the entryway.

“Oh good, I caught you before you left,” Mrs. Marsh says. She steps past the threshold without any beckoning.

“Um...” Kate shoots a puzzled glance at Victoria, who looks as equally flummoxed. “Is there something you needed, mom?”

“I wanted to see your reaction in person when I gave this to you,” Mrs. Marsh explained with a heavy air of self-satisfaction.

She holds up a brochure for the Shafer Baillie Mansion. The propaganda features a proudly ostentatious image of the Tudor Revival historic inn. The establishment’s slogan promises “amazing grandeur and craftsmanship,” allowing its guests to enjoy “the sense of a luxury hotel from a time gone by.”

“It took some doing, but I lucked my way into a reservation for next week,” Mrs. Marsh boasts.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Victoria remarks. “A mother-daughter trip with Kate?”

“What?” Mrs. Marsh responds with her own look of confusion. “This is for you two. Your honeymoon!”

Expressions of abject horror instantly overtake the faces of the young women.

Mrs. Marsh seems still too enthused about her present to be able to notice what’s actually going on with her daughter and daughter-in-law. “You guys chose not to have a ceremony, and that’s fine, but Richard and I wanted you to have at least some of the newlywed experience. Trust me, we aren’t taking no for an answer.”

* * *

“Well,” Kate announces during the cab ride to Capitol Hill, “Let’s just think of this as a company retreat.”

“How do you mean?” Victoria asks with an inquisitive grin.

“Like I’m recognizing the stellar performance of my best worker.”

Victoria breaks out in a delighted laugh. “I have to admit I’m looking forward to being the one who’s attended to.”

“That’s the spirit! You deserve it.”

The car pulls up to the curb of the building, which, for what it’s worth, is just as elegant and luxurious as the pictures advertised. The girls step past the massive carved oak door and into the entrance hall. Immediately they are struck by the wonderous sight of stained glass sidelights in a flower motif. Renaissance Revival carved columns and pilasters stretch up to the high ceiling. The floor is pristine Siberian white oak.

An elderly receptionist leads them up the front grand staircase to the Master Suite on the second floor. Kate and Victoria ooh and ah at the accommodations, all of which exude both a familiar and soothing warmth as well as dignified finery and sophistication. Well, they ooh and ah until they notice the sleeping arrangement. Surely enough, there’s a single mahogany king-size bed. Just one.

Kate wastes no time in calling her mother.

“They called me to confirm the reservation,” Mrs. Marsh explains. “When they told me it was twin beds, I corrected that right away. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Her tone becomes a bit more suspicious. “You guys already sleep in the same bed anyway, right?”

Kate lets out a slight whimper. “Yes, of course! It’s as it should be. Sorry to bother you. The room is great. Thanks again!” Kate hangs up with a groan.

“Hey,” Victoria speaks softly, “This bed is huge. Much bigger than what you got at home. If you think about it, we’re not sleeping ‘together,’ so to speak. If we take the edges of the bed, it’s more like just happening to sleep in the same general area. Like at a sleepover, right?”

“Well...” Kate anxiously rubs the back of her neck.

Victoria lies back, sighing contentedly. “Memory foam, so nice.”

The sight of Victoria’s lithe figure sprawled out across the mattress sends Kate’s heart leaping into her throat.

Kate’s discomfort dispels just slightly as they sit down to a private dinner that had been delivered by room service. Tonight, they’ve been treated to steamed Maine lobster with clarified butter, garlic and chive mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

“This really is good,” Kate exclaims.

“Such a treat,” Victoria concurs as she sips some chardonnay. “I couldn’t ever make this. I’ve got this thing about handling lobsters. They’re just giant bugs, you know.”

“So we’re like Timon and Pumbaa?”

“Hakuna matata all the way!” Victoria bumps her glass with Kate’s.

They polish off their last few bites, punctuating the meal with a dark chocolate and black sesame molten lava cake.

Deciding that they were more than ready to just wind down into sleep, they opt to start on their respective nighttime routines. Victoria washes herself in the 450-jet ribcage shower, letting the persistent streams of water massage each groove of her skin.

While Kate takes her bath in the wide porcelain tub with nickel faucets, Victoria wraps herself in one of the hedonistically fluffy robes and relaxes on the chaise lounge while reading her well-worn hardcover copy of Andrezj Sapkowski’s “Blood of Elves.”

With the both of them sufficiently clean, they change into their sleepwear, Kate in her cozy aquamarine pajamas and Victoria in a pink lace camisole and matching shorts.

As Victoria had first proposed, they start off on opposite edges of the mattress.

“See?” Victoria comments. “Nothing so bad about this.”

Kate offers up an appreciative smile. Once again Victoria had eased her into territory that had once seemed so daunting and perilous.

Victoria gazes back with expectant eyes. She had recently been considering how she was the one who was taking all the initiative in her relationship with Kate. Victoria had been the one to suggest the faux marriage. Victoria had suggested the concept of skinship. Their first proper “date,” the dinner at Ivar’s, also from Victoria.

What then, Victoria wonders, would be the step that Kate would take.

As if on cue, Kate points out this next seemingly innocuous fact: “It’s Tuesday.”

“You remembered,” Victoria replies in gratitude.

“Last week was so amazing, how could I forget?”

“Well, you’re not Kamala Khan,” Victoria teases, “So I think you’ll need to come a bit closer.”

With a sly grin, Kate casually scoots herself across the mattress, closer to the middle. Victoria meets her there too. Kate instinctively nuzzles her cheek against Victoria’s warm chest. Even Victoria is a little taken aback by how naturally their motions just instantly synched together. Everything about their being next to one another simply makes sense. Victoria clutches at Kate’s back with one hand, strokes the generous locks of blonde hair with the other hand.

With no parents to break up the moment, the two find that they don’t find any impetus in themselves to let go. They let sleep settle into their bodies, which remain entwined the rest of the night.


	11. Beautiful Times

[ **“We all suffer but we recover, just to discover life where we all are.”** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfA-tPKPoNs)

Tuesday comes around again. Again, Victoria takes out the recyclables. Again, Kate comes out of her bedroom in her pajamas, and the two share a breakfast of scrambled eggs and sauteed tomatoes. Again, Kate gets dressed for work.

And once again, Victoria wraps her arms around Kate’s shoulders. Kate holds Victoria around the waist. They let the embrace linger, feeling gratitude and contentment as they sink into each other’s touch.

Victoria hands Kate a Tupperware container of shepherd’s pie for lunch. They exchange giddy grins as Kate leaves the condo. Kate takes the elevator down to ground level. This particular morning, Kate looks back up at the balcony of unit 410. Victoria is hanging up the laundry for the day. Kate gives her a spirited wave. Victoria returns the gesture, beaming a toothy smile down at Kate as well.

* * *

That evening, Kate returns home to find Victoria stirring a Bolognese sauce for dinner. Victoria reports that Jessica was kind enough to send over a shipment of ice wine. Victoria explains that because the grapes are left to freeze on the vine, the sugars in the resulting liquid are more concentrated, thereby producing a much sweeter beverage.

Surely enough, that night after dinner, Kate finds it easy to throw back several glasses to go along with her chocolate custard for dessert. She laughs with vigor as a familiar track plays on their stereo.

_“I’ll be your dream, I’ll be your wish, I’ll be your fantasy...”_

“Omigosh!” Kate exclaims, slurring just slightly. “You used to blare this all the time from your dorm. Made it impossible to study!”

“In my defense,” Victoria explains, “I have an important memory tied up in this song. It was my first ever slow dance.”

“Oh really?”

“Yep. Sixth grade Sadie Hawkins dance. I asked Landon Tate from biology class. His hands were shaking the entire time, and I’m pretty sure he puked behind the punch bowl afterward.”

“I believe any boy would’ve been petrified to be so close to you.”

“I was still wearing that god-awful retainer for my overbite. It was hardly my glitziest era.”

Kate lets out a dopey chuckle, trying to imagine all the ways the Victoria from the distant past could stand in stark contrast to the one she finds now sitting beside her on the beige sofa.

“You know,” Kate finds it appropriate to confide in Victoria, “I’ve never actually had a slow dance.”

Victoria can’t help but recoil in slight shock. “Ever?”

Kate shakes her head. “Mom was always pretty strict about letting us go out. Especially to anything involving boys.”

Victoria nods as she takes another sip of her drink. A jolt of inspiration hits her as the bridge comes in.

_“‘Cause I’m counting on a new beginning,”_

With a resolute breath, Victoria stands up from her seat and pushes the coffee table away from the sofa.

_“A reason for living, a deeper meaning.”_

Having cleared out a suitable space before Kate, Victoria offers up her hand. Kate smiles back as she places her hand in Victoria’s.

_“I wanna stand with you on a mountain.”_

Victoria quickly pulls Kate to her feet. Kate gives a light yelp in surprise. Victoria opts for the “boy” position in this dance, putting her hands square on Kate’s hips. Despite having never participated in such a thing before, Kate has seen enough teen romance films to know that she’s supposed to put her hands atop Victoria’s shoulders.

_“I wanna bathe with you in the sea.”_

As they start swaying to the music, Kate admittedly stumbles a few steps. Maybe it was the wine. Or it could’ve been the pleasant lightheadedness from being in Victoria’s grasp again.

_“I wanna lay like this forever.”_

Getting used to having to be the one who makes bold moves, Victoria slips her hands further behind Kate’s back, then draws her forward a few more steps, closing the distance until their two bodies are enclosed together.

_“Until the sky falls down on me.”_

Kate gives a brief gasp.

But she soon realizes, just like anything else for which Victoria had taken the initiative, that this is thoroughly lovely. Kate has to now confess this is something she’s wanted all along anyway. She shuts her eyes, sighs in satisfaction.

_“And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,”_

The tranquility gives way to alarm as Kate feels a pair of supple lips grazing her neck. Goosebumps flare out immediately across the entirety of her skin.

_“I’ll make a wish, send it to heaven and make you want to cry”_

It’s not that Kate doesn’t enjoy it. She usually preferred to be in control, to have a handle on any situation, but now she doesn’t mind the sense of surrender. In between her arms, Victoria offers such a profound sense of assurance and comfort.

_“The tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty”_

Kate feels Victoria’s mouth pull away. Kate is just about to protest, that is, until she finds herself engulfed in Victoria’s kiss.

_“That we’re surrounded by the comfort and protection of the highest powers”_

A moan escapes from Kate as Victoria lets her lips be planted to Kate’s for ever extending lengths of time.

_“In lonely hours.”_

Victoria slips in her tongue, sending shudders through Kate’s every fiber.

_“The tears devour you.”_

It’s not until Victoria grasps the waist of Kate’s pencil skirt and grabs at the zipper that Kate breaks the kiss and reels back. Kate nearly falls backward over the coffee table. Victoria gazes back at her in shock and confusion. Unable to speak a word on account of her ragged breathing, Kate storms back into her bedroom, shutting the door with a resounding slam.

Kate collapses against the door, her back pressed against the wood as if trying to keep out an intruder. But why? Why did Victoria now feel like an intruder?

Kate sits there, knees tucked against her chest. As she waits for the surge in adrenaline to abate, she finds herself unable to move. She sits there for so long that she ends up falling asleep.

* * *

When Kate awoke the next morning, she found a single plate of hash browns and bacon sitting atop the dining table. Next to the plate is a lone Post-It Note with a message etched hastily in Sharpie:

> **“I’m sorry about the short notice. I decided I need some time off. Meals for about a week are in the refrigerator.”**

Kate opens her fridge, finds stacked on the shelves a wall of Tupperware, each with a considerately portioned meal tucked inside.

* * *

Cole Porter wakes Victoria. Well, it’s not exactly Cole Porter himself, more like “Anything Goes” ringing out from the record player downstairs. Victoria peels the comforter off her body and lets her legs hang off the edge of the bed. It’s not her bed. It once belonged to Molly, the younger of Jessica’s two sisters. Molly started attending boarding school at a pretty early age, so her room really hadn’t been updated since she was a very young girl. The color scheme is all pastels of pinks and yellows. A white rocking horse with golden tassels flowing from the handles sits in the corner.

Victoria throws on her Bryn Mawr College hoodie. During the last two nights she’s stayed there, Victoria had found Jessica wasn’t kidding when she called her mother’s manor a drafty space.

Victoria climbs down the long stretch of stairwell to reach the kitchen, where Jessica and her mom Edith, a gaunt lady with wispy white hair and cat eye glasses, are applying chocolate frosting to a horde of cupcakes.

“Ah, Sleeping Beauty rises at last!” Edith’s frail physique belies her feistily sardonic wit.

“Happy birthday, Edith.” Victoria walks up to the old woman and wraps her up in a tight hug.

“I’m starting to get the feeling that birthdays are bad for your health. The more of them I have, the closer I feel to death!”

Jessica rolls her eyes at her mother’s supposed “humor.”

“You hungry, dear?” Edith asks of Victoria. Edith uses one of her bony hands to cup Victoria’s chin. Edith then gives a once over to Victoria as if inspecting her for sufficient body fat. “You look like you haven’t been eating well. You want breakfast? Lutefisk?”

“Um...” Victoria can’t help but shiver at the thought of the salty, slimy “delicacy” from Edith’s native Norway. “No, I think I’m fine.”

“I make some lutefisk,” Edith insists. “All manner of troubles goes away.”

As Edith starts assembling her ingredients and kitchenware, Jessica hands a spatula to Victoria, and the two start frosting the remaining cupcakes.

“You feeling better today?” Jessica inquires.

“Yeah, a little,” is Victoria’s noncommittal reply.

“Here.” Jessica opens a fresh tin of frosting and hands over a spoon to Victoria. “Forget the lutefisk, this is real comfort food.”

Victoria laughs as she scoops up a spoonful.

* * *

Jeffrey Chase, DMD, and his wife and three daughters arrive at Orcas Island by about noon. Victoria’s nieces had always liked playing hide and seek in the labyrinthine confines of Edith’s house.

“Congrats on your first fight as a married couple,” Jeff remarks as he sets out plates and cutlery on the picnic table positioned on the front lawn.

“Any gems of wisdom on how to win this one?” Victoria queries.

“I’ll tell you same thing dad always said to me: ‘Do you wanna be right, or do you wanna be happy? Just let the woman win.’”

“Um, hello? I’m the woman too,” Victoria points out.

“Well, do you wanna be the right woman or the happy woman?”

Victoria scoffs. “Skip the marriage advice. Stick to root canals.”

* * *

By later that afternoon, Edith’s birthday party had commenced in earnest. Molly, Jessica’s older sister Barbara, and the three brothers Walter, Calvin, and Sam have come as well, along with their smattering of children in various ages. The group gathers around the picnic table for a dinner of svinekoteletter porkchops, kjottboller meatballs, and lefse flatbread.

Eventually a traditional Norwegian blotkake cream cake is brought out. It’s large enough to accommodate a full collection of 80 candles.

At Calvin’s behest, Edith gives a speech to her friends and family.

“Today is my 80th birthday. But maybe even more significant is that it’s my 20th birthday without my darling Sven.”

The crowd falls silent out of respect for their deceased patriarch.

“Sven and I had a good, long life together, raised a wonderful family.” Edith continues.

This elicits a whoop of pride from the mustachioed Sam.

“We had much to be proud of,” Edith goes on. “Much to regret as well, such as Uncle Johann’s ostrich farm in Tacoma.”

The family breaks out in laughter.

“But something I will always be proud of is how we committed to each other,” Edith recounts. “We never gave up on one another. To work hard, to fight for a person you want to give your heart to, well, that’s the best way this old loon can think of to spend her years.”

“Hear, hear!” Jessica calls out in affirmation as she raises her glass of akevitt.

Victoria tosses back a shot of her own. As she swallows, her mind isn’t focused so much on the burning sensation of the liquor tearing down her throat. Rather, she ponders on what her life would be in the next 50 or so years. Could she live a life to be proud of? Would she take the time, make the effort to commit to that special person? Could she give up her heart for a love to last a lifetime?

* * *

Victoria hears the familiar chime of her phone’s ringtone beckoning from her Burberry handbag. She notices “Kate” on the caller ID.

Victoria places the device to her ear, takes a deep breath before answering, “Hi.”

“I’m sorry,” is Kate’s immediate greeting.

Victoria brushes aside some errant bangs away from her brow. “I probably pushed too hard that night. Shouldn’t have come at you like a drunken prom date.”

“But I was too selfish,” Kate countered regretfully. “I was so self-conscious about being inexperienced, so worried you’d be, you know...” The girl sighs hugely. “Disappointed.”

“I want you for who you are, Kate. How could I be disappointed?”

Kate could be heard sniffling from the other line. “It means a lot to hear that.”

“Do you want to get together and talk about it some more?” Victoria proposes.

“I’m so glad you mentioned that. I’m nearby right now.”

“Really? You’re still home?” Victoria pushes open the heavy iron door to Apartment 410.

“Home?” Kate replies quizzically. “You’re not...”

The front door to Edith’s sprawling manor swings open. Jessica meets Kate with a puzzled look.

* * *

Since she had taken the last ferry out, Kate had to stay overnight on Orcas. She also found Molly’s room to be especially drafty. Kate wakes up especially early the next morning, being sure to catch the first ride off the island.

She arrives back in Apartment 410 to find Victoria filling out the sudoku on today’s edition of the New York Times.

“Hey,” Kate calls out to her.

Victoria looks up, sets down her paper and pencil, and stands to greet her. “Hi.”

Kate smiles impishly as she sets down her purse on the kitchen island.

“Are you hungry?” Victoria asks.

“No, there was some guy selling shawarma on the ferry.”

“Ferry shawarma, huh? You’re braver than you look.”

Kate gives a light giggle as she walks over to the sofa.

“Do you want to sit?” Victoria offers.

“Mm.” Kate nods, takes a seat on the familiar cushion.

Victoria fiddles with the hem of her skirt for a moment before continuing. “I really appreciate that you went out there to see me.”

“Thanks for coming back home too.”

Victoria gives a subtle, yet still earnest smile, back to Kate.

“You have to know I really do care about you,” Kate asserts.

“Of course.”

“And it’s not like I don’t want you.”

“But you don’t want to go that far just yet?”

Kate wrings her hands, purses her lips. “I’m not sure.”

Victoria looks down, shuffles her feet uneasily. “I can’t be the only one who’s sure. That’s not fair.”

Kate swallows the lump in her throat. “I agree.”

“Then I guess it’s time I broke some news to you.”

“What is it?”

Victoria takes Kate’s hand into hers, squeezes gently. “An old classmate of mine from Bryn Mawr got promoted to GM of this catering company in Bellevue. I’ve been exchanging emails with her about some of the recipes I make here at home, and she’s interested in bringing me on as a chef.”

“That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you.”

“It’s a full-time position,” Victoria clarifies.

The realization hits Kate like a sack of bricks. “Oh.”

“Between that and what I earn from Anthony on the weekends, I should have enough to get my own place.”

“You...” Kate hangs her head. “You don’t want to work here anymore? Not even live here?”

Victoria places her hand under Kate’s chin, lifts up her gaze. “For now, you need your own space to figure some things out. If you decide you want me back here, completely and without reservations, then I’ll come back, and for a damn better reason than I just need a place to crash.” She gives Kate a bright smile of encouragement.

A bit apprehensive about the change but nonetheless feeling bolstered by Victoria’s resolve, Kate returns Victoria’s smile. Still, she has to voice one final regret: “Yesterday was Tuesday. I should’ve gotten a last hug,” she says with a pout.

Victoria giggles in bemusement. “You know what? We don’t have to make it so formal anymore. You want a hug, you just hug me. Simple as that.”

With the promise of a limitless supply of hugs in her future, Kate sighs contentedly.

“You wanna watch Great British Bake Off?” Victoria asks. “You’ll need to learn some recipes if I won’t be around to cook.”

“Hmm, but when am I going to need to make a cake bust of Freddie Mercury?”

“How about we just start with Bread Week? Then I’ll teach you an orange marmalade recipe. Sound good?”

Kate nods feverishly. Victoria takes the remote from the coffee table and queues up Netflix. As Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding have their playful introductory banter, Kate rests her head on Victoria’s shoulder. Strangely, Victoria doesn’t want to move her. The sprightly opening theme plays on, and Kate places her arms around Victoria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are ride-or-die Chasemarsh, do feel free to consider this the end of their tale. Believe for yourself that Kate and Victoria do manage to reboot their relationship and make progress toward establishing a romance that's in full-bloom. If, however, you wonder what can happen beyond this, please continue to follow the sequel "Build Me a Heart," and another story which is to come even after that.


End file.
